Where Went the Voices
by Sena Johannsen
Summary: To Ming, a young girl from Ba Sing Se, bending is the enemy. It ruined her life, and only by joining the Equalists does she believe she can keep it from ruining anyone else's. Little does she know, however, that she would be the catalyst for the movement's sudden rise to power. But with that power comes a blurring between good and evil, and Ming caught directly in the center of it.
1. Conscription

**Book One - Air**

The stringy man dances like a praying mantis atop the old soap box as he shouts to uninterested city folk. Behind him on a giant poster a masked figure in hood and cloak looks upon the cheerful city park and frowns. "Down with non-bender oppression!" The man preaches, but few listen. Not even the summer pigeons seem to care. He pours his heart and soul through his loudspeaker, but Republic City is uninterested in his righteous cause. _They __**should**__ care. _"The benders have the power to destroy us all, and they **will** use it!"

A woman in her middle age, wearing her hair in a librarian's bun, walking briskly before her ears were snared by the soap box man's words, speaks. "Now hold on!" She exclaims. "My husband and my son are benders! How dare you say such things!"

"Yeah!" Comes another voice, a young man in the prime of his life, full of gusto. "I have friends who are benders! You've got a lot of nerve talkin' like that!"

"People, please!" The man on his box shouts. "It is only bending I curse, not your family or your friends, for bending is indeed a curse! We want to free them, don't you see? While your husband and your son, ma'am, I'm sure are wonderful people, a power as great as bending should be deserved, not unfairly doled out by luck at birth! The Equalists call only for equal treatment among all peoples, benders and non-benders alike! For after all, why **should** benders be given special treatment? It makes no sense! Doesn't it rile you to your soul? This is not equality we live in!" _The people don't care for equality._ _They prefer destruction._ "So why do we stand for it?" He continues. "Alone we non-benders are weak and fragile, but together we far outnumber those in power! Join us and rise up to bask in equality!"

"How?" The fiery man watching asks.

"Yeah, how?" Repeats a new voice to the crowd.

"Our leader, Amon!" The man cries out in happiness, thrusting a palm onto the poster behind him. "He has devoted his life to learning how to combat the benders' unfair gifts, and will impart this wisdom unto any who join his cause to bring down the oppressive establishment!"

The woman who first heard him out speaks. "But what you're talking about is practically rebellion!"

"And if it is?" The man responds. Many gasp. "The bending regime uses force to subdue us non-benders. If the threat of rebellion is what it takes to obtain our freedom, then perhaps that is the road the Equalists must take." He extends a hand out to the people before him. "But we can do nothing and we will achieve nothing without the hands of the people at our side. Will you join us, brave citizens, and for the first time in your lives taste equality?"

There is a ghostly silence that follows his invitation, a thinness in the air, until at last I speak. "I will." _I have to. These people are the right path for me. _The preacher swerves his crane neck from side to side to see who spoke. The others turn my direction as well. I am small in stature and in voice, but I am spotted.

"Excellent!" He exclaims. "We do not discriminate against age, little girl; if you hold in your heart the burning desire for equality, then the Equalists welcome you."

"Thank you." I say, nervous. "But I'm actually sevente-"

"Your name?" He interrupts.

I contemplate using a fake, but decide against it. _There's no one here who could ever know, anyway. _"My name is Ming Ku-Sim."


	2. Initiation

My name is Ming Ku-Sim. I am seventeen years old, though I am always told I look younger. I am new to Republic City, but Republic City is far from new to me. It is as all cities are: canyons between rich and poor, numerous factions all with intertwining schemes and plots, and the people are always busy. Busy, busy, busy. They walk in beelines to their destinations, they drive in the new Satomobiles and Cabbage Cars in congested traffic, and they care little for conversation they don't need. Others may find it depressing, but I'm fine with it. The barriers between us make me feel safe. Short and small not being enough, I am also quiet, always stammering and stuttering when I speak. At times I wish I were more sociable, that I could simply ease my way into a conversation with tact and with wit, but they're just hopeful wishes. I do a lot of that. Wishing.

* * *

"I'd like to thank all of you." The masked man, our leader, Amon, speaks in a commanding, proud voice. Deep in the tunnel system in which Republic City's sewers are a part of lies in secret the Equalists' headquarters, their base of operations, and it is here, in the main hall, where thirty of us stand in grid formation before Amon, pacing back and forth. I am in the front row, and even though I can't see his face behind the eerie mask, part of me swears every time Amon passes by his eyes spend an extra fraction of a second glancing at me. _It's just your height, Ming. That's all. _"I really do." He continues. "Equalist support has been growing as of late, but it is still smaller than we've hoped for. I'll be honest with you all, since you have given yourself to the cause: we are nowhere near the numbers needed to begin any serious operations, but that's not a problem. All the non-benders of Republic City will come to the point, just as we have, where they cannot take the injustice any longer." Amon turns to the new recruit in the front left corner of the formation. "What was it that spurred **you** into action?" He asks him. "What was it that crossed the line for you?"

The man stammers for a moment before answering. "I-I've been unemployed for over a year now. And last week an employer j-just straight up told me he didn't want me because I was a non-bender." A faint sigh escapes throughout the hall.

"And the discrimination was simply too much to bear, wasn't it?" Amon finishes. "I'm sorry to hear that. Thank you for joining us." He turns to the next person in line, a man only a few years older than I. "And you? How have the benders oppressed you?"

This one is even more nervous. "Well sir… it wasn't really one thing, it's been… like a gradual kind of thing. All my life, in school and in work, I've been bullied and harassed by… by benders, and… I just can't take it anymore! They never have to answer for it…"

"Disgusting." Amon remarks. "It affects all our lives, and yet nothing is done to stop it. Blind eyes everywhere." He looks at me. Another extra fraction of a second. "You are so young, and yet you willingly join us. I commend such bravery. What is your story, if I may ask?"

I try not to be nervous, but my voice is still as quiet and unsure as always. "I-I'm actually sevent… well what I mean is…" I think my words over for a moment. "I just want to get rid of bending. It is an evil thing that brings the world nothing but pain… That's all."

Amon pauses again. "Well said." _Phew. Saved._

The rest of his speech is brief. Eventually he gives the reins us to his lieutenant, a man of dark auras and unpleasant moods, who will be dividing us up and sending us off into our specific positions. I, along with four others among the new recruits, am sent to the spymaster, a sergeant named Chun. She is a thin snake of a woman, with eyes like tiny black marbles in tight sockets. "Only five?" She groans in her chair upon our arrival. "How many were sent to combat training?" She asks of us when we arrive in her office.

None of us are sure who should answer, so the other woman aside from me responds. "I think about twelve." _It was actually a bit more than that…_

Sergeant Chun hisses. "I keep telling Amon he's going about this in the wrong order, but…" She rubs the bridge of her nose with a thumb and forefinger, then stands up from her chair and walks toward us. "No matter. So how many of you have an idea of what you're going to be doing here with me?"

Again no one knows who should reply. I start to try but only manage to squeak a small "I…"

She hears it. "Yes? You…?

"I… I guess like… sneaky stuff? Like infiltrating into places?" I think it's a good guess, but her face frowns a bit more than it normally does.

"Points for trying, at least." She sighs. "You might do 'sneaky stuff' if you prove yourself capable enough. But to begin, you all will simply be posing as ordinary citizens of Republic City, going about your lives as you normally had been. Every day, you will be given either a section of town to listen in on, or a specific person to shadow." _That… sounds easy enough._ "The key is simply to blend in. Don't do anything that will bring attention to yourself. And don't stay in one spot for too long. The city is always moving; so should you be."

One of the other recruits raises a palm. "What if we find ourselves unable to escape a situation? Like, what if a bender starts harassing us and we can't do anything about it?"

"In that case, you let them harass you. Be the victim. Not only will no one suspect the victim, but an incident like that will lend aid to our cause. Alright, any other immediate questions? It's a simple job, it just has to be done with a smart mind is all." No one answers, even though I'm sure the others, like me, actually do have questions they want to answer, but don't feel they should bother her with them. "Report back to me in half an hour and I'll have your districts mapped out. Go use that time to look around the compound; get to know it better." As the five of us begin to leave, the sergeant taps my arm to get my attention without the others knowing. She nods behind her, motioning me to stay behind for a moment. I obey, and once the rest are gone, she sits back down at her chair and speaks again. "Your name is Ming, correct?"

I nod. "Y-Yes, that's correct. Ming Ku-Sim."

She mulls the name over in her mind for half a second. "I'd like to choose you for a shadowing mission, if you think you're up for it."

I'm surprised by the offer. "Me? Why me? Why not one of the others?"

"Well, because you're small and you're quiet. You're the easiest among your peers to remain unnoticed, and that's exactly what's needed."

_That's not the reason I was hoping for…_ "If you think I can do it… well then I'll give it my best, I guess." I answer.

The closest thing to a smile she can manage forms on her face. "There's the answer I'm looking for. Now, the man I need you to follow is a dangerous one, but my intel says he's going to be in a well-to-do part of town where he wouldn't dare start a mess. Sound okay?"

I nod, even though I am far from certain what danger I may be getting myself into. "Good. Now go catch up with the others. And ah… don't tell them I'm giving you this mission. Last thing I need is jealous new recruits." _'Jealous'? I don't know… I'm starting to regret agreeing to this already…_

I leave Sergeant Chun's office and begin to wander through the headquarters of the Equalists. Being hidden away far underground, accessible only from the sewer systems of Republic City, it is a somewhat dreary place, all metal and rust and electrical light. For non-benders however it is also a place of comfort. Earth and waterbenders have nothing to threaten with in this man-made expanse. The only real threat are the firebenders, but still fire is easily blocked without bending. Airbenders would be disadvantaged only slightly by the tight walls, narrow corridors, and the still air of this place, but there are only a small handful of them left in the world, most of them children at that.

"Ming!" Comes a man's voice. My attention is returned to the real world, my inner thinking and pondering as I wandered the featureless steel hallways interrupted. I reflexively look up to see the other four assigned with me to espionage loitering about at the door to the mess hall. "Good! That **is** your name!" The oldest-looking of the bunch exclaims. "You looked deep in thought; I hope I didn't interrupt anything!" He chuckles sarcastically.

"W-what? No… no, it's fine. I was just… thinking." I reply, nervous to speak with them.

"About what?" The woman who spoke up for us in the office asks.

I glance past them for a moment, to the walls and pipes. "About this place, I guess. Wondering how safe it is."

A man previously unspoken responds. "What, are you afraid of like an earthquake or a flood or something?"

Another man, younger, maybe my age, laughs nervously. "I never thought of that. We'd be trapped down here, wouldn't we?" _Trapped!? _"Like sardines all cram-packed in a can!" He jokes, but I am riddled with fear from the thought. My heart rate increases slightly, my head grows a bit faint, and my lip begins to quiver in fright.

Though I try to mask my fear, the oldest man spots it easily, and speaks again. "Ming? Are you alright?" He asks, concerned.

"I'm… I'm fine." I gasp. "I just get… I'm really claustrophobic." I take a deep breath to try and contain my fears. "They didn't tell me we were going to be underground…" I mumble.

"Well, then it's a good thing we're not going to be working down here, huh?" He smiles full of teeth that could have used a pair of braces growing up. "Oh! The four of us have introduced ourselves to each other, but we haven't with you, have we?" He remembers. "My name is Huang, and this is my sister, Jia."

"It's nice to meet you." The woman smiles.

"I'm Li Fen." The man who mentioned earthquakes says.

There is an awkward silence before the last, the other one as young as I remembers he needs to introduce himself as well. "O-oh! Right!" He stammers and with a bow, says "My name is Taak. I'm actually new to the city. I moved here from the Northern Capital four months ago."

"That's Water Tribe, isn't it?"

"Yeah." He says, half a groan. "Highest percentage of waterbenders in the world too. Of course, I wasn't among them." Another awkward silence. I scan his features for a moment. His skin is dark,and his hair long and brown, but unlike every other member of the Water Tribes I've seen, he does not tie it back with the traditional beads, but instead lets it dangle freely over his shoulders. "Well, no matter. I feel safe here. No water to get bent around in here!" He smiles, looking around him with pride.

"Not if the Avatar breaks in." Li Fen smirks. _The Avatar. The only person in the world able to bend not only more than one element, but all four. Not someone I want to meet._

Taak groans. "Oh will you shut up already about the stupid Avatar? There hasn't been any word from the Southern Water Tribe since the last one died, so he…"

"Or she…" Jia butts in quietly, though Taak largely ignores her.

"…must not care much about being an Avatar. Which I'm perfectly fine with." The hallway is silent for a moment, until Taak lets out a morose sigh. "You know, if I was born five days earlier, **I** might've been the Avatar."

I smile. "Heh. You're the same age as me."

Half of their jaws drop. "What!?" Taak exclaims. "You're…? No way, you're shorter than my sister!" I grumble underneath my breath at the remark. Huang and Jia tell us they're going to head back to Sergeant Chun's office, and to not take too long. Li Fen tags along with them, getting bored of the conversation's new direction.

"Your sister – is she a nonbender too?" I ask once they're gone.

"Nope. Grade-A waterbender." Another sigh. "One of the best in her class. To my parents I'm nothing but a disappointment. They act like it's my fault, like I let them down. Not the Avatar, not even a damn waterbender."

Another awkward silence. I break it. "Well… It might've been an interesting life if you had been, but… I think you're a better person not being."

A smile returns to his face, and I find it copied onto mine as well. "Thanks, Ming." He says. "That means a lot to me."

"O-of course. So," I begin, "you just have to be born on the day the Avatar dies to have a shot at it? Is that how it works?"

"That and there's a cycle. Water, Earth, Fire, Air. Since the last one was Air, the next would be parents with waterbending prowess."

"Ah… well that excludes me."

"What were your parents?" He asks.

I pause for a moment before answering him. _I shouldn't have said that_. "I'm from Ba Sing Se."

"Oh really? You hide your accent well." _…Is that a compliment?_ "But yeah. Never had a chance. Hah, probably best you're not an earthbender then, what with being claustrophobic and all." He pauses, realizing his somewhat uncouth choice of words. "But hey – like you said we're better people for not being, right?"

"Yeah… Right."

"Because the Avatar isn't everyone's champion. Just the benders'. That's no hero of the world."

"Do you think we'll have to fight him… or her eventually?" I ask him. "If the Avatar is our age, then they're old enough we have to worry about them, don't we?"

"If they even show up." He replies. "Like I said, there's been no word. If we're lucky, the Avatar may not even care."

"And if they do?"

"Well that's what we have **our** champion for!" He smiles.

_Amon. _I'm not as beaming with pride as he is. _So in the end it's a fight between gods? _Unsure of how I feel about that, I walk with him side by side back to the sergeant, where I will receive what will certainly be a terrifying first job.


	3. Perquisition

His name is Zolt, but his nickname is "Lightning Bolt Zolt" on account of his immense skill in firebending. At fifty-one years of age, he is the ruthless leader of the Triple Threat triad, arguably the most powerful of crime syndicates in Republic City. Unlike the firebending Agni Kai or the waterbending Red Monsoon, the Triple Threat employs benders of fire, water, **and** earth, and if there were still airbenders in plentiful supply, probably them too. There isn't a single non-bender in their ranks however, and that's what worries me. Like its counterpart organizations, The Triple Threat uses its powers to coerce non-bending citizens of Republic City into paying protection money. Though I suppose with the Triple Threat you at least get a choice of how you wanted to be beaten to a pulp should you refuse their 'offer'. Pummeled, burned, or drowned – what's your preference?

* * *

_I can't believe my first assignment is shadowing the leader of a crime syndicate. Don't they have better people to do this?_ I complain to myself as I walk around downtown Republic City, unsure of how I should even start this operation I've been given. The skyscrapers, concrete obelisks, loom over me, but I'm not too dazzled by them – I've seen taller. _I'd love to hang out way up there in one of them. Maybe have a balcony I can watch people from. _I do the next best thing, finding a fire escape and climbing up three stories. It's slightly difficult to spot the faces from way up here, but the breeze is too nice to abandon. I stay there for about an hour, singing tunes and watching heads, before I climb back down. Afterwards I find myself drifting towards wide-open spaces, plazas and parks and sidewalks along fat, noisy streets, but still absolutely no sign of Zolt. I have his face memorized well enough from photos Sergeant Chun supplied me with, but every now and then, I'll reach back and sneak a peek in private to remind myself just what I'm looking for.

I walk all over the area, but no sign of the man. _What if I don't find him? Will I get in trouble? _I go by Central City Station, but only find homeless folk there, beggars and orphans just looking for a bite to eat to last them through the day. My old and worn clothing must tell them I'm not one to ask for money, as none bother speaking with me. In the center of the station plaza stands a statue of Fire Lord Zuko, immortalized in the prime of his age, looking triumphant and proud as always. Over his left eye is a great scar from where his father, the previous Fire Lord, burned him out of rage. Our leader, Amon, also bears scars from villainous firebending. _I wonder… if Zuko was a non-bender also, would he be the same as Amon? …No, probably not. _

I check the area around the City Hall, though it is also a wasted effort. I should have known, considering just who I am shadowing; no boss of a crime syndicate would hang around the seat of government in the city. A shining white building with golden ornaments, City Hall is a gorgeous architectural example of the new renaissance the world is enjoying. Staring at it from afar, I find myself entranced by not only by its physical beauty, but by its great significance. Here is the center of the world in this age, where the five members of the United Republic Council make decisions that could very well decide the fate of the world. _All that power… in just the hands of the few. It's not a good thing. It's never a good thing. _There used to be non-benders on the council. Sokka, one of the previous Avatar's companions was one such person, as well as its chairman, when he was alive. _None these days, though._

Having worked up an appetite, I buy myself a cheap hot dog at a stand overlooking the hall and sit myself down on a nearby wooden bench, alongside a broken fountain some city workers are fixing. _If there's one thing I really miss from before it's the food… _I absolutely detest it when people make noise when they eat, so I always take the extra effort to chew with my mouth closed, even though currently there is no one nearby that would be able to hear me. I also try to keep myself from making a mess, but it is a futile effort, and eventually I fail in my mission, half the hot dog falling apart, bouncing off the bench and onto the sidewalk, directly in front of the feet of Councilman Tenzin, the representative of the Air Nomads and the only known airbending master in the world. He is a tall man, with a shaved head like a rock sporting the traditional blue arrow of the airbenders, and over his mouth a defined dark brown beard and mustache. His clothes are the traditional orange and yellow garments of the Air Nomads, an almost lost style to this world.

Stopped for a second by the rogue wiener in his path, his eyes and mine meet, and for a moment I am too lost in startled fear to do anything but stare. The half of my meal still in my hand cares little for fear however and drips a messy glob of mustard onto the loose threads of my sleeve. Tenzin elicits the smallest of laughs underneath his breath as I embarrassingly try to wipe the stain off and says to me "Here, let me see your sleeve." Despite how dangerous a man this is before me, I am too nervous to move away. He bends down, takes the dangling sleeve in one hand, and with the other blows a small, concentrated gust of air through the fabric with his index finger and thumb, blasting the stain away before it can set in. _That's… an interesting way to use it, I guess… _I glance up at him with frightened doe eyes and he merely smiles at me through his sharp beard, gives a small wave, and continues on his way towards City Hall.

"W-wait!" I exclaim, standing up, my voice finally found.

He turns his head around first, then the rest of his body. "Yes?"

"Councilman, I…" **_He_**_ must know something. Even if he can't tell me, and I can't outright ask him, __**he'll**__ have answers. _"Can I ask you a question?"

"Certainly, as long as it is a quick one." He responds.

_Okay Ming, how to phrase this…_ "It's about the triads…" I notice his large, dark eyebrows furrow just a bit at their mention. "Especially the Triple Threat. I don't feel safe with them on the streets, harassing non-benders. Isn't there anything being done to stop them?"

He takes a brief moment to formulate his response, then speaks. "I assure you we're doing everything we can to combat them. If you truly do not feel safe on the streets of Republic City, then I advise you talk to the police about it. In the meantime, I'd advise you stay away from the 46 district if you have fears about the Triple Triad. I speak with Chief Bei-Fong often; she says that is the area of town she receives the most reports about them."

A politician's answer, but I got from it the information I was looking for. "Thank you." I reply, politely. He smiles again, and returns to his brisk pace towards the City Hall building. I wipe my sleeve once more, kick the fallen hot dog underneath the bench, and make to leave towards the very place I was just told not to go.

The 46 district, named so after the year of its construction, is on the outskirts of downtown, bordering the Dragon Flats borough, another part of town rife with triad activity. This is a dangerous place I'm going to, but I ought to be okay if I keep my wits about me at all times. After all, people **live** here and get along relatively fine (well, the benders at least), so I shouldn't have a problem. _I just hope I don't look conspicuous. _Having been outside in the summer heat all day walking all over downtown, not only am I exhausted, but I'm a sweaty, sticky mess with all this ocean humidity. Even my hair is sticking to the back of my head, wet black seaweed. I wanted it cut shorter last time I went to the barber, but she said any shorter and I'd look like a boy. I'm already regularly mistaken for a child; having to add 'male' to that would be even worse. So down as far as my jawline my hair stops, my bangs hanging over my brow like an awning.

The 46 district is a bit quieter than the downtown streets I just left, but it's not a peaceful transition; rather one born of apprehension, of tension. People still pass by me quickly, but it is not to hurry to a destination – it is to hurry off the streets. I come across several men who I assume by their smug attitude and cheap suits to be Triple Triad members, probably low-ranking ones. _Do I stay here or leave? If I keep an eye on them it might lead me to Zolt, but it might also get me found out. _I do a covert scan around me for anywhere that might work as a place to stay put that won't bring attention to me. _Nowhere. Forget it then. I'll keep moving. _I let out a morose sigh. _But at this rate, there's no way I'll come across Zolt. _Looking up at the sky, I spot the sun ready to set within the hour. _Certainly not today. How do they expect me to find him so easily?_ Another sigh. _I ought to just head back and call it a day. _I dread what reactions Sergeant Chun or any other officers have in store for me should I show no results, but I have little choice – today's mission is a failure. I turn around and prepare to return back to downtown, back to the secret entrance into the underground tunnel system I took to get out into the city this morning.

But not even three blocks after doing so, as though by divine intervention, my target appears. Before the corner entrance of a ritzy restaurant by the name of Kuang's Cuisine a Satomobile pulls up, and out from one of its thin car doors steps Lightning Bolt Zolt. With every step he emanates power – physical power, social power, and firebending power, he is like a tiger among weak men. Two others exit after him, following him into the restaurant. One, a tall, smooth character, looks by his features to be from one of the Water Tribes, while the third I imagine is an earthbender, to complete the triumvirate the Triple Threat is known for. _Those must be Zolt's right hand men. Which means… the most powerful men in the triad are all here, right now! _As the driver of the car leaves the street, my lost vigor is restored. _Alright, Ming, don't mess this up. _Despite swarms of butterflies in my stomach I analyze the situation. _I can't enter the restaurant; that much is obvious. So I have to wait until they leave. _I look around the building Kuang's is situated in. _Maybe I can spy from one of those alleyways while they're inside. In fact, that's exactly what I should do. They can't see me still out here when they leave – I have to hide._

So I go into hiding. I follow the block with the restaurant in it, planning to enter the alleyway from the opposite side. But as I turn the corner one street over, another unexpected face appears before me. This is not a dangerous one, however, but of a friend. "Taak!" I exclaim in a half-whisper. "What are you doing here?" I ask.

"This is my part of town to patrol." He replies, just as startled as I am. "What are **you** doing here?"

"I'm…" I begin, but my voice gets caught in my throat for a moment. He waits for an answer. "Do you promise you won't tell anyone?" I say.

He takes a half-second to contemplate answering. "Yeah, I promise. Unless it's like… something that would endanger the uh…" He darts his eyes around to see if there's anyone within earshot, "… the you-know-who. Us."

"No, no. It's nothing like that." I assure him. "But you promise, right?"

"Sure."

"Sergeant Chun gave me a special mission. I'm tailing someone right now, and he's in that restaurant, Kuang's Cuisine."

His eyes widen a bit with curiosity. "Whoa, seriously? Who?"

My turn to look around for ears. "Lightning Bolt Zolt."

Now his eyes are well-polished dinner plates. "Lightning Bo- The leader of the Triple Threat!?" He whisper-yells. I quickly cup a small hand over his mouth and put the other to my lips to shush him. "I can't believe they'd give you such an important mission for your first day on the job." He says quietly after I pull my hand away.

"I can't either. I shouldn't have taken it."

"I know – I'll help you!" He smiles.

My mind doesn't know how to react to that, whether to be grateful or spurn the offer. "I don't know…"

"Oh, please? You have no idea how boring the job we got is. It's just sitting around all day waiting for nothing to happen. But this? This is exciting!"

I bit my lower lip and veer my gaze to the side. "I really don't know…"

"Think of it this way: if something happens to one of us, the other can escape and tell the troops back home what happened so they know where to go. Right? We'll be each other's lifeline!"

I mumble something incoherent in concession. "Alright." I say that, but I'm not convinced this is a good idea. In fact, I'm leaning towards the opposite. "Follow me and lay low. And don't make a sound. Watch your every step." He obeys my instructions, but I can still hear his footsteps on the hard concrete as we sneak through the alleyway. The air here is strangely quiet when compared with before, though the rest of the city can still be heard faintly. Every once in a while a stray noise will shoot out above the rest – a muffled exclamation from inside the building next to us, or the comedic honk of a Satomobile's horn, or something like that. _Anything to draw attention away from us._ I'm so terribly frightened that my knees are shaking; they feel like they could go out at any minute. But it's okay. Taak was right – his presence behind me does bring me reassurance.

We come upon the back of Kuang's, hiding aside the dumpster by the back door. The giant metal bin is full of rotted food that reeks horribly; Taak and I both have to hold our noses. "See those windows?" Taak whispers, pointing a finger. There is an alleyway that leads out to the sidewalk where I saw Zolt and his cronies leave their car, and alongside are three circle-shaped windows looking inside. "We should sneak up to them."

I nod. "That was my plan. If Zolt's in there I imagine there won't be any others dining tonight, so it should be quiet inside." Cautiously, testing every step, I sneak up to the closest window. Taak follows, but he is not as light on his feet as I am. _I guess that's why the sergeant chose me for this. _I pray no one hears him.

The first window emits the wonderful fragrances of fine dining. "I don't even know what that is, but it smells so delicious…" Taak whispers. I shush him and we listen.

It is quiet inside, just as I predicted it might be, and though I can hear Zolt talking, I cannot make out what he is saying. I shake my head slightly and motion to the next window. Again we creepily crawl through the dank, dark alleyway, until the warm light of inside shines over our heads once more. Taak and I are squeezed uncomfortably between the wall of the building to our right and a car parked in the alleyway to our left, but still I concentrate hard on the sounds of inside, listening to every mote of sound that sounds like a voice.

"…is not a problem." I finally make out. I don't know which of the three men spoke it, but it is one of them.

"Not a problem? But boss, pardon me for being so blunt, but how in the hell ain't he? He's the Council's chairman for La's sake!"

"Because he's **not**." Says the first voice again, with a power and virile resonance behind it that only the top dog of the conversation could hold. _That must be Zolt._ "He's on some fool's errand elsewhere. Nah, the one we gotta look out for is Tenzin. Mr. Airbending Goody-Two-Shoes wants his papa's city sparkling, and he's best buddies with Chief Bei-Fong at that." _So he wasn't kidding when he said he knows her…_

"I heard they were an item once, but they broke up." A third voice, slightly slower in articulation than the others, says.

"They were." Responds Zolt's other right-hand man. "Rumor goes the Chief didn't want no kids, so that's why Tenzin dumped her. Couldn't have airbendin' goin' extinct."

"Right." Says Zolt. "A hundred and seventy years later and goddamn Sozen's still got the world messed up."

"So what do we do, boss?" Asks the slow man. "Go after Tenzin?"

"No, he's too well protected." Zolt answers. "What we do is we split the Council up. There's already a crack between Tarrlok and Tenzin; we gotta drive a wedge in there and turn it into a fissure."

"How do we do that?"

Zolt grumbles. "Well if you got any bright ideas, Halim, I'm listening." An uneasy period of silence is the only response Zolt receives. "Right. So we think on it." He raises his voice to shout over the restaurant. "Waiter! We're done here."

I glance back at Taak again. "We leaving too?" He asks, hushed.

"Yeah, let's get outta he-" Before my sentence can end, the car next to us suddenly growls to life. Taak and I both stand up and move out of our cramped spot, startled half to death and temporary blinded by the bright headlights. Inside the car the driver is nearly as surprised as we are, but he recovers first. "Hey! The hell you kids think you're doing!?" He yells.

_This is… Zolt's driver! _"Taak…!" I call his name, then pause for a moment out of pure fear. "…RUN!" Immediately we bolt away, but the driver is on to us. The engine roars and the car screams through the alleyway before flying out into the street, just barely missing us as Taak veers left and I go right.

"The hell's going on out there!?" An angry voice from inside Kuang's exclaims. The car's brakes shriek as the vehicle stops, and the driver swings open his door and jumps out. He then turns towards Taak and begins to bend.

"Watch out!" I turn around and scream, but it's too late. By the will of the driver's bending the ground belches up rock and dirt to trap Taak in a hard mound of earth. _No! I have to get away! I have to get away and warn- _My thoughts are stopped short the moment I turn back around to escape as I run directly into Zolt, face-first into his chest. Instantly, I try to flee in the other direction, but Zolt reaches out and snares me by the loose folds of my clothing with one of his large hands.

"And just where do you think you're going?" He growls as he pulls me around to face him. "Huh? You little street rat!"

"They were spying on us, boss." The earthbending driver says, keeping his eyes on Taak, even though there's no hope of him breaking free.

"Spying? Why you little…" He snarls, firebending a flame in his hand.

"Hiding by the window listening to your every word."

"No!" I yelp. "That's not…"

"Oh what – you trying to tell me you weren't?" He inches the flame inches closer to my face, sweat rolling down my forehead. "You better choose your next words carefully, kid, unless you wanna end up looking like Ol' Zuko."

"It was just me!" I say, out of desperation.

"…Just you?"

"Th-that's right. I **was** spying on you, but it was only me! Taak is… he's just a friend of mine who wanted to come along! He didn't know what I was doing! Please," I plead, tears coming out of my eyes but quickly evaporated under the heat of Zolt's flame, "take me but let him go. He's just caught up in this – he didn't do anything!"

Zolt thinks it over for a few seconds, in which terror has consumed me so much I can barely think, only waiting for his answer. It comes with the dousing of his flame, and a short, guttural grunt. "Fine." A part of my heart fills with relief. "Don, let him go." He orders. The earthbender obeys, returning the stone prison to the ground and the sidewalk to how it was previously. Taak analyzes the situation for a second, glancing back and forth at all of us, but silently, understanding my intent, jets off as quick as his legs will take him. Zolt shoves me to the largest of their men, an earthbender by the looks of him, who grabs ahold of me tight with his rocky hands. "We're taking our little spy here for a ride. Make sure she doesn't squirm an inch on the way back to headquarters." Zolt leans in close to me, until I can smell the pungent odor of garlic and ginger in his words. "I bet you think you're being a real hero, kid, but you're gonna be wishing you hadn't once we're through with you."

We drive through the contrasting creeping darknesses and fluorescent lights of Republic City in silence. Trapped in this vehicle with four men, each so powerful they could kill me with merely a couple thoughts, escape is truly hopeless for me. They know this; they haven't even bothered constricting me. And all the while they say absolutely nothing. If it's to terrify me, to make my mind fragile, it's working. Along with that, being cramped in this tiny space is bringing me near to total panic. At the very least they could roll down the window and let a breeze in. But what gets to me the most is the silence. It simultaneously keeps me still and keeps me in fear. It's a horrible thing, and I want it to be over, but it doesn't. It remains until we finally arrive at Triple Threat headquarters, an inconspicuous three-story building in the middle of downtown disguised as a hole-in-the-wall sandwich shop with tenements on the upper floors. One of the earthbenders fashions a stone shackle over my wrists to keep me from trying to flee the moment we exit the car. We enter through a back door marked "EMPLOYEES ONLY" and locked with a large padlock. All the men have the required key on them, but it is the waterbender, a thin, shady man who glides like an eel when he walks, who opens the door.

The inside stinks of fogweed smoke that forces several violent coughs out of me. Zolt doesn't care; he drags me along through the narrow, hazy corridors like he would a mule. The hallways are so narrow and the ceilings so low as we move down into the basement, deep underground into the real base of operations for the Triad, that my apprehension grows even more. My only hope is that perhaps somewhere down here is an entrance to the tunnel system, and Taak will have alerted the others to my plight, and they will come rescue me, but in all reality there's a fat chance of such a miracle happening. _Still… I was able to get Taak free. He __**will**__ tell them, that much I know…_

"Put her in the hold until tomorrow." Zolt orders.

"You sure, boss?" The snaky waterbender says. "I mean look at her – she ain't the type to need no coaxin' to talk." He jabs me with a finger as he says this.

"Do it anyway."

The waterbender shrugs, grabs me by the collar and drags me through the complex like a misbehaving child. When we arrive at a jail cell, he throws me in and closes and locks the iron gate. "And before you ask – no. You ain't gettin' the cuffs off." He grins maliciously. "Nighty night, kid."


	4. Proposition

His name is Tenzin, and right now, as strange as it is, I find myself praying he of all people will get me out of this mess. Perhaps it's because he's actively seeking out the Triads, or perhaps it's because of the way he helped me out before, even though it was such a trivial matter then. Or perhaps it's because he is an airbender, and airbenders are supposed to be kind-hearted people. That's what everyone says at least. The only airbending child of the previous Avatar, a great deal of responsibility falls on Tenzin. As Councilman he is charged with protecting Republic City, and as a father of three he is responsible for protecting his children, as some think it would be better if airbending no longer existed in this world. I am one of those people. So really, even though he can't possibly know this about me, why should he come to rescue me? He shouldn't, and he won't.

* * *

That night I receive little sleep. The cell is cold, damp, and it smells of age and mildew. I lie awake on the wood cot for hours, and it is not until deep in the night, drenched in tears of despair, that I finally find sleep. And in that sleep, I dream of Taak. We are in happier times, in happier places. Places he doesn't know, but I'm sure he would've loved. In the real world they may be lost to me forever, and Taak may be far away in a place where I can't reach him, but in here we're together, and it's pleasant.

But the sweet escape of dreamland is curtly interrupted the next morning by large hand grabbing me by the hair and yanking me awake. "Have a nice rest, Sleeping Beauty?" Lightning Bolt Zolt smirks as my mind realigns itself with the waking world. He throws my head back down onto the cot. His shadow and those of his two lackeys behind him are all cast over me like a mountain range on a valley, and it terrifies me down to my very core. He can see the overwhelming fear in me and grumbles something incoherent under his breath. "If you wanna make this painless, then you're gonna answer all our questions, and you're gonna answer them correctly." He leans in close and scowls fiery eyes at me. "If there's one thing I hate even more than being spied on, it's being lied to, you got that, kid?" Fearfully I nod, swallowing a lump in my throat. "It'd leave a bad taste in my mouth if I had to get rough with a kid, but don't think I won't if I don't get what I'm looking for. So answer me – who told you to spy on us?"

My mind blanks for a second; I can't think of what to say. "I SAID ANSWER ME!" Zolt roars.

I shriek in fright and shout "The police!" It's not the answer I should've given, but it's the first I could come up with that wasn't the truth.

Zolt raises an eyebrow. "The police?"

"She's lying, boss." One of his lackeys, the earthbender Talim who gave me the shackles still on my wrist, grunts.

"I'm not!" I blurt out.

Zolt rushes towards me and grabs me by the shoulder, pinning me against the hard, concrete wall. "Alright then, kid, prove it. If you're working for the cables, who's your go-to man, huh? Who're you reporting to? You better start talking, kid or-"

"Ch-Chief Bei-Fong!" I stammer the only officer's name I know.

They all burst into laughter. "I don't need my earthbending to know that's full of it." The lackey chuckles.

"It's… I'm not lying!" I cry. "It was Councilman Tenzin's idea to use kids… I spoke with him yesterday outside City Hall and he offered me the job. I… he promised I'd get paid, so I said okay and he took me to talk with Chief Bei-Fong about it."

It is not Zolt who speaks next, but Talim, after a brief pause. "Boss, I… I think she's telling the truth." He says, surprised by his findings. I've fooled his lie detection sense somehow.

Zolt thinks it over for a moment. "Alright, kid. Let's say I buy your story, then. That means I can't let you outta here then, doesn't it?" He grins. " 'Cause you'll run right off to Good Ol' Chief Iron Bra and squeal about our headquarters, won't you?"

"I was wonderin' if maybe we shoulda taken her somewhere's else." Lackey Number Two, the sleezy waterbender from last night, remarks.

"Shut your trap, Shin." Zolt snarls, then turns back to me, finally letting go of my shoulder and backing a step away from the wall. "So kid, how's about I make you a proposition, instead?" My heart lightens, if only by the smallest increment, at the idea of getting out of this relatively unscathed. "You work for us, and I don't have to break all your little fingers, hm?"

_Work for him? For the Triad? _ "I don't if I can…" I say, trailing off.

"Can what?" Zolt barks, trying to get words out of my mouth.

The waterbender, Shin, interrupts. "Wait, 'don't know if you can bend'? Are you a bender?" I'm not sure how he came to the conclusion that's what I was going to say, but it gives me a sudden idea.

"I'm a firebender." I lie. "But I've only been able to do it once or twice."

"Well good, 'cause that's not what I was gonna have you do." Zolt says, resuming control of the conversation with his commanding voice. "You're gonna be doing to the cops exactly what they tried to get you to do to us."

I put two and two together. "Spying?"

"That's right. You're gonna pretend like nothing ever happened and keep giving them information. The information we **want** you to give them, of course. And at the same time you're gonna be feeding us information on them." _This will work out great! If I can manage to gain their trust, then I'll have no problems reporting on them! _"So? How about it, kid?"

I don't need a moment to think it over. "Y-yeah. I'll take the job." A thin sliver of a smile on Zolt's face. "Of course I'll take it! I-It's not like I like the police or anything, I just wanted a job, that's all."

"Well kid, we pay a hell of a lot better than they do, that's for sure." Zolt signals behind him and Talim breaks the shackles into gravel with a movement of his fist. "So what's your name, kid?"

"My name?" I stammer, rubbing my wrists. "It's Ming. Ming Ku-Sim."

" 'Ku-Sim'? Never heard a name like that before. You guys?" Shin and Talim slowly shake their heads from side to side. "Hm. You from the City?"

"N-no. I'm not. I came here…" _I can't tell him the truth of course…_ "a long time ago with my parents but… they're both gone now."

"Hey." Zolt says, putting a hand on my shoulder once again. This time however it is not the hand of an aggressor, but of a leader. "You stick around here long enough and you do good work and you'll see – we take care of our own around here." _But I'm __**not**__ one of you, and I never will be._

* * *

I can't help but feel they're putting way too much trust in me. _It's like they expect me to double-cross them. I mean… I __**am**__, but…_ Not even half an hour after I am finally let out of that horrible cell, they simply let me go, after telling me what information I should give to the police. Shin gives me a fake address to give them as the Triad's hideout, "Go over to that part a' downtown and come up to the first cop you see lookin' all distressed, and tell 'em you just escaped or you're scared someone's after you or something like that. That'll get 'em to believe you." _And it'll get me inside with an audience. _I'd been concerned as to how I would actually get in to the police headquarters, but Shin's plan sounds like it should work to do just that. So once I reach around where Shin told me to go, I do just as instructed. I'd like to take a moment to get a decent meal, but I figure if I'm hungry when I arrive at the police station it'll look better for the act. It doesn't take too long before I come across a man donning the gold and grey uniform of a Republic City police officer. Readying myself for the performance, I mess up my hair, rub a bit of dirt on one cheek, and whip up some fake tears (it isn't hard for me), then begin to dash towards the man.

"Officer! Officer!" I exclaim frantically, instantly nabbing his attention.

"Hm? What is it, miss?" He responds.

"I-I need your help! Please!" I grab at the folds of his uniform in faux fright.

"Whoa, hold on!" He says, startled. "What's the matter? Are you in trouble?"

"I'm in danger!"

"Danger? Who? What happened?"

"It was one of the triads, they tried to kidnap me but… but I managed to break free and escape." I quicken my breathing. "B-but they saw me and I've been running from them! You have to help me! They might still be after me!"

He bends down a bit to reach eye level with me. "Calm down. You're safe now. How many men do you think are chasing you?"

"Th-three. And they're all benders. That's why they took me in the first place – I'm a non-bender, and I tried to fight back when they were harassing me. Please, I'm scared!" I cry.

"That sounds like the Triple Threat alright." He rubs his chin. "Come with me. I'll take you to the station. Does that sound okay?"

I nod through a teary smile. He takes my hand and leads me through the city carefully, always keeping a vigilant look out for any assailants, though obviously there won't be any.

By the time we arrive at the nearest police station, I'm so hungry I could eat a whole rabbit-pig. My escort must've heard the eldritch noises my stomach has been making, because he offers me a sandwich as we walk in. It's pre-made, and with cheap ingredients, but I couldn't care less; I'm too hungry. "My, you must've been starving!" He remarks after I unceremoniously inhale the thing. "So you can stay here for the day if you'd like; I'll let the man who runs this station know what's going on, okay?"

"Thank you… so much." I say graciously, after wiping my mouth of crumbs. "But… if I can" I continue, "I want to help out! The three men took me to the triad's headquarters, and they were scolded as soon as they arrived for doing so, and that's when I managed to escape. Does that mean you all don't know where it is?"

The officer's mouth is agape for a moment. "That would be a tremendous help! Here, let me talk with my superior – he'll probably want to speak with you." He leaves me alone in the front lobby, going further back into the station. I gladly take the moment of silence and stillness to recollect my thoughts. Everything has been so hectic the past 24 hours that I've barely had a moment to sit and relax. It's tremendously appreciated.

The police officer reemerges with another, this one is of a much higher rank: he is one of the metalbenders. They wear segmented plate mail armor and utilize long metal cables to apprehend criminals. This one in his armor has me intimidated; the nervousness I'd thought had left me for the day returns. It certainly doesn't help that he seems to lack the ability to smile, his thin moustache perpetually pointed downwards in disappointment. He leads me into the bowels of the police station, away from any prying eyes and ears, where we can talk in private. "So," he begins, once we've settled into his office. It's a small, disheveled room. The only window is small, placed high near the ceiling. But the air - the air here is so still and lifeless even the dust is still, suspended particles barely influenced by the small movements of our bodies. It makes me feel ill at ease. "Officer Lee here tells me you have some juicy info on the triads you want to share with us."

"W-what? Oh… yes." I stammer, breaking out of my half-stupor. "That is… I know where the Triple Threat's headquarters is located."

The metalbender's eyes grow for a moment in surprise. "Really?" He says, inquisitively. "And how did you come across the knowledge when we have been searching for months and been unsuccessful?" I give him the story I gave his subordinate, and though he seems skeptical at first, I think he buys it. I also give him the address Zolt and the triad gave me to use. I consider giving them the real address just for revenge on the triad, but decide I'll save that for who I'm **really** working for, as Amon must have plans for them if he wanted Zolt spied on. "Well, Ms. Ming, if the information you've given us is true, the Republic City Police will be in your debt." Says the metalbender officer, after we are done.

"It's not a problem." I politely reply. "It's the least I could do for saving me."

He gives the closest thing to a smile he can manage. "Will you be needing a ride home?"

"No!" I exclaim, then lower my voice. "N-no, thank you though. I'll be fine, I'm sure. I don't live anywhere near where I was jumped." _There's no way I'd let you anywhere near the Equalists._

Another inquisitive look. "Very well, then. Thank you for your help and cooperation." He raises his voice. "Lee."

The door to his office opens. "Yes, sir?"

"Could you show Ms. Ming out of the station?"

"Certainly." He waves an arm to usher me out. Once the two of us are far enough away from the office he finally speaks again. "Don't take Mr. Song the wrong way; he always looks like he's grumpy, even when he's not."

I have to stifle a giggle. "Was he then?" I ask.

"No, he was elated. He hates the Triads more than most, so… ah, never mind. I shouldn't talk about that. Wouldn't want to disrespect his privacy."

"I understand. And I'm very glad I could help. But I really should be going. I'm sure my parents are terribly worried." In truth, despite the generous hospitality I'm being given here, I feel ill at ease in this place, like a soldier hidden behind enemy lines. Not to mention, I'm sure **someone** certainly is worried about my absence.

"Be careful, okay?" He warns me. "I would say I hope to see you again soon, but… well you get it." He smiles. I return the gesture and leave the station, happy to be in the warm air once again, under an open, bright sky. _Now then. Where is the closest entrance to the tunnels…?_


	5. Exposition

Her name is Lin Bei-Fong, and she is the current Chief of Police of Republic City. Her mother, Toph Bei-Fong, was the first Chief, as well the first metalbender. Lin inherited her mother's ability and prowess, and joined the force after her mother's retirement, eventually obtaining her title. She is as tough as earthbenders are generally expected to be, completely uncompromising in the face of adversity. It is no wonder her relationship with Tenzin did not last: earth and air often oppose one another. Though she is such a fierce and intimidating woman, I have a desire to meet her. I don't know why – perhaps curiosity, perhaps for knowledge, or perhaps it's even admiration. She is a woman who stands tall and proud, who doesn't flinch from danger, who doesn't turn to others for assistance when she can get the job done herself. Perhaps I just want to find out if I can be someone like that too.

* * *

I reach Equalist territory by sundown. As I am still new, I am not recognized, and since I was on a mission of espionage, I have nothing on me that would associate me with the Equalists. I try giving the first person I see, a lookout in the tunnel system, my name and rank, but he's not buying it. "I wasn't aware we were hiring **kids**." He says snidely. I'm so tired of hearing by now that I don't bother correcting him on my age. I eye him over for a moment. He's actually in Equalist uniform: a camouflage green jacket and pants with black combat boots and a thick red scarf over his shoulders. I was incredibly jealous the first time I saw someone wearing it all, and I still kind of want one myself, though I'd never tell **this** man that.

"Get Sergeant Chun. She'll sort things out." I try and reason with him.

The man groans, then pulls out a short-range communication device. _Since when did they have __**those**__?_ After twisting a couple dials and holding down a button, he speaks into the machine. "This is Balak, out on watch. I've got a little girl here running around the sewers; she says she's one of us. Her name's…" He turns away for a second. "What did you say it was again?"

"Ming Ku-Sim."

"You catch that?" He asks the device. "Says she's with espionage." A pause, with some chatter on the line. "Oh they did? Serious? I didn't think they got anyone new." Another pause. "Alright, alright. If you say so, boss." He lets go of the button and sticks the device back in his rucksack. "Come with me. I'll bring you to the base where we'll see if your story checks out."

It does, of course. When we reach the entrance to the Equalists' part of the tunnel system, my arrival is met by one very relieved sergeant of espionage. "Oh, thank goodness you're alright!" She says breathlessly, pulling me close in a motherly grasp. "I felt terrible afterwards giving you that job. I apologize." Her words, though kind and heartfelt, make me terribly uncomfortable, and not just because I didn't think her capable of this emotion. It's because they remind me of my real mother, of the reason I left my hometown. Thankfully, it is a brief embrace. "When Taak returned with the news we all feared the worst. Even Amon wasn't sure what Zolt might do to you."

_Amon! That's right – I should let him know the situation. _"Where is he?" I ask. "Amon, I mean. I have news he needs to know."

"I'm right here." The gravelly voice of our leader responds from afar, as the man who owns it steps out into the main hall of the Equalist headquarters, echoing boots on old metal. "Ming, I am glad to see you are safe." With the never-changing face of his mask, Amon's emotions are a mystery. I can't discern whether he truly is glad or whether it is merely a formality with which he speaks. "I'll hear this 'news'." He says. "Come with me." The spotlights all on me, I hesitate under the eyes of all the men and women around me, all thinking, all wondering what interest their great leader could possibly have in this one new recruit. But still I follow, nervously, apprehensively, behind Amon's broad, cloaked shoulders.

Into the heart of our complex base we go, until I am in Amon's personal quarters. I expected it to be a striking, regal room in which he dwelled, but it is a small and humble place; he must not care much for material wealth. There is only one item of particular note: a small painting of a boy in traditional Northern Water Tribe attire, looking contemplative. "Please, sit down." Amon says as he closes the door behind us. I wish he hadn't – I suddenly feel cramped and nervous in this metal box of a room. "Or not." He adds, after I'm still standing. Instantly I feel behind me for the worn-out two-person sofa and plop down, embarrassed to have blanked out in front of him. Amon sits on his bed, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped in front of his chin. "I have to admit I'm extremely curious as to how exactly you escaped from the Triple Threat."

"Oh! That… well, I…" I spatter.

His unmoving mask is locked onto me. "Yes…?"

"I joined them instead."

He doesn't speak a word, but the unclasping of his hands and leaning back says it all: "You what?"

"I-I mean, I pretended to join them! I told Zolt I was spying for the police a-and he bought it, so he gave me an offer to… to spy for **him** instead."

I wait for a response, but it takes a moment, silent seconds harboring deep thought from both of us. "Interesting…" is the one word Amon utters. "You didn't try to escape?"

"No, I… well I thought about it, but I didn't. But this is better, right? This is better than me just spying on them, isn't it?"

"Much better."

"Because I can feed them information to lead them astray, r-right?"

"Exactly." He leans forward again, and after an uncomfortable silence in which the only other presence is the reverberating groan of the walls, just within the human ear's audible range, he says "Ming, I don't say this to many, but I believe I can trust you."

I'm completely taken aback by his words. "I… I don't know what to say, sir… I mean… I don't know how I could possibly deserve that trust…"

He lifts a hand to silence me, the resumes his position, hands interlocked once more. "And why is that? Why should you not be trusted?" I can't find any words in me, only mere syllables of hesitation and fear. Amon is testing me. "Because you're hiding something from me." He says, then slows his speech, enunciating every word. "Ming. I know your secret."

_My…!_ _No! No, he can't! _Immediately a fear as fierce as death shoots into me and I scramble backwards, shrinking away from the man. "W-w-what secret?" I try and play it off. "I-I don't know-"

"It's no use trying to hide it from me." He stops me, his voice dark as night. "I knew it the moment I first laid eyes upon you. I know you are a bender." As soon as he says the word, I cannot feign any longer. Tears instantly pour out my eyes. I have no idea how he could've found out, but he did. "And by my guess, you're actually quite good."

"Please…" I cry. "I… I didn't want to… Sir, it wasn't…"

"I know. That much is clear to me now, Ming." From an end-table near his bed he grabs a handkerchief and tosses it onto my lap. Slowly but graciously, I accept it and try to pat my eyes dry. "Your conviction towards our cause is as strong as any of ours. Even when captured, when your bending would have served you well to escape, you didn't use it. You refused to utilize an unfair advantage. I've never met a bender in all my life who had that resolution in her. **That** is what has earned you my respect and my trust."

My tears, while not erased entirely, are at least controlled. "So," I sob, "do I still get to be an Equalist?"

Amon uncharacteristically breaks into laughter. "Of course you do! Weren't you listening to any of what I just said? To be honest, **I** should probably be apologizing. It was I who sent you to spy on Zolt. You are the first bender to ever join us; I had to decide how to deal with such a situation. So I gave you a test. Thankfully, you passed with flying colors." He is about to continue, but a hesitant knocking comes to the door, snatching away our attention. "Yes? Who is it?" Amon asks sternly.

"Private Taak, sir. Y-you wanted to see me?" The muffled voice responds. Upon hearing his voice I quickly smudge the handkerchief over my eyes to erase any remaining tears, then stand up and take a deep breath to regain myself.

"Yes, one moment." Amon says, then turns to me. "It should go without saying that none of what was said in this room leaves this room." He looks behind at me, his sly mask peering over the edge of his shoulder like a ghost. "For your own safety." He adds.

"O-of course. A-and sir?" I begin.

"Yes?"

"I guess you know what type I am too… right?"

He pauses for a second. "No, actually I don't. Considering you are from Ba Sing Se I would assume an earthbender, but does it really matter?"

A smile, lost for a time, finds its way back to my face. _No, of course it doesn't. All bending is the same: evil._

Amon opens the door to reveal Taak, far more nervous than I've ever seen him. When he sees me however, a great deal of that nervousness fades and is replaced with great joy. "Ming! You're alright!" He exclaims, then remembers who he is standing before and resumes a strict, military salute.

"It's fine, Private." Amon says. "You can see her."

Taak's demeanor swiftly shifts back to elation as he rushes to embrace me in his arms. "Ming, I was so worried…" He says. I find my arms around him as well, my cheek against his chest, feeling his heart beating thankfully. "It felt so horrible running away from you…"

Amon clears his throat loudly, bringing us back into the real world. We both stand at attention, embarrassed. "Now, if you two are done…"

"Apologies, sir." Taak says formally, releasing me and standing at attention. I mean to repeat him, but my tongue's caught in my mouth.

Amon takes a moment before speaking. "Ming, you have performed far beyond the expectations of your position, and as so, I'm promoting you to the rank of sergeant." My heart skips a beat. My tongue is even more tied. _Me? A sergeant? An officer? I don't know… _Taak is just as shocked as I am, his jaw similarly dropped. "And she is not the only one. Taak, I am promoting you to corporal; you shall be working directly underneath her." He takes another moment to let it all sink in, but we both need far more than that. "I have a plan for the next month, and I need people who work well together. And as it involves the Triple Threat Triad, I can see no better candidates to lead it than the two of you."

I finally find my voice. "I… I'm honored, sir."

"Good to hear. I'll be discussing the plan tomorrow with all officers in the war room at 0700 hours. I'll expect you both there. And in uniform, might I add. For now however you are dismissed. Get some rest; you've had a long day."

We strengthen our stance and give a gracious salute. "Yes, sir!" The two of us both exclaim. Though I can never see his face, I feel as though Amon gives us a proud smile as he closes and locks the metal door between us. Taak and I both exchange glances as soon as we're alone, both of us with delighted smiles. He's about to say something, but I put a finger over his lips and point to the door, then motion for us to move away.

Once we're away from prying ears, down the hallway and into a broom closet, Taak can't hold it in any longer. "I can't believe it, Ming! Corporal! And you're a sergeant!" He exclaims.

"It seems like a dream…" I say, bewildered, "like there's no way this could actually be happening. This fast…"

Taak gently puts his hands on my shoulders. "But it is! It's everything I'd hoped for when I joined," He smiles warmth at me, "and then some." He leans his head down close to mine, his forehead brushing against my fragile bangs. "And I'm so glad I'm spending it with you, Ming."

My heart is pounding madly, nervous butterflies filling my chest. "I… I'm happy too…" I squeak. "I really am. I'm… I know it don' seem like it because I don' say much, but… I really do… I think I…"

Taak's face is close enough that our breaths are dancing with one another. "So you do have an accent." He smiles.

My face is beet red, and refuses to utter another syllable. I never can properly form my thoughts into words. So I give up on speech and let the interactions of our bodies convey my feelings. My hands move to his hips and slowly, carefully, our lips meet. I close my eyes and enjoy the silent moment.

* * *

The next morning is early, something I'm still not used to. Our promotions so recent and still secret, Taak and I sleep with the new recruits, in rooms separated according to gender, though of course neither of us says a word of the news to anyone. _They'll find out later anyway. Not looking forward to that…_ I wake up at five a groggy and disoriented mess. That I had trouble sleeping last night due to the anxiety of my promotion certainly doesn't help things. Eventually however my mind is back in the conscious world where it belongs, just about the time I arrive on the other side of the Equalist headquarters, where I'll get my uniform.

"Yeesh, you're tiny." The quartermaster yawns after I tell him what I need. "I dunno if we have anythin' that'll fit you." _Please do. I'm so tired of baggy clothes…_ He digs around through crates, and by a stroke of luck, finds a uniform my size. "I think we got this size made in case we got like some young guys joinin' up or somethin'. But guys and gals wear the same type of uniform so it shouldn't matter."

I hold it up in front of me, looking it over. It's the same as the one I saw on the lookout man yesterday, though it definitely is smaller. _As long as it fits. _Taking the uniform set to a nearby washroom, I find myself a little giddy. For once I finally feel like I'm a real member of the Equalists, and it's an incredibly comforting feeling, having somewhere I belong.

The uniform fits well and looks nice. The boots are a little big, so I return to the quartermaster to get a new pair that fit. "Do you have the time?" I ask him, when all is said and done.

"Goin' on 6:30." He answers.

I thank him, and as I leave his area, Taak arrives for his uniform. He whistles a catcall as soon as he spots me. "Nice threads!" He smiles, and I mimic it.

"You'd better hurry." I admonish. "Meeting's in thirty minutes. Don't want to be late."

"Yes, Sergeant!" He pretends to be serious about it, but the goofy smile still plastered on his face gives him away.

Leaving him to the quartermaster's whims, I traverse the tunnels and passageways of our headquarters to the war room. I receive a few passing glances on my way there, but nothing more. _It's just your height… as usual. It's not like they can tell you got promoted just looking at the uniform. And why should they care anyway? They shouldn't, and if they do, you outrank them anyway and can just tell them off. Yeah._

"Ah, you must be the new sergeant." A guardsman standing watch over the war room proclaims as I approach to enter. "Ku-Sim, right? That's an interesting name; I've never heard it before." _Not surprised._ "Well, go on in."

I thank him and pass through the door with a hesitant trepidation in me. Inside, like all of our headquarters, is not as impressive as one would expect it to be considering its importance. A moderately-sized room, the ceiling only slightly higher than usual, the only light is cast down upon the large wooden table commanding the center. Around it are a number of men and women, eight or nine I count, all of them officers, and in one corner is Amon himself, speaking in hushed tones with the lieutenant. The lieutenant is the second-in-command of the Equalists. A distrusting man, he's gotten where he is by always being mindful, always being cautious and skeptical of others. I understand that line of thinking, and I seem to employ it naturally myself, though at times I wish I didn't, that I could instead trust the world to act accordingly. But of course, if it did, the Equalists wouldn't need to exist.

I get more eyes as I find a place around the walls to stand and observe. One pair in particular can't believe what they're seeing. "Suppose I should've figured you were the new officer." Sergeant Chun snickers quietly beside me. "Infiltrate in one day what we couldn't in three months. Yeah, that's promotion material alright…" I'm not sure what to respond with, so I simply give her a half-smile. "Taak with you too I guess?"

"He's corporal, under me." I respond.

"Lucky kid." She remarks. "So why isn't he with you?"

"I caught him as I was leaving the quartermaster's place. He should be here any moment."

"Well you'd better hope so." She leans in close to whisper for my ears only "If there's one thing Amon won't tolerate, it's tardiness."I gulp. _Please don't be late, Taak…_

Fortunately, he is not. He arrives in a shiny new uniform only minutes before seven o'clock. I can't help but stare an extra few seconds at him (he does look rather handsome). Quickly finding me among the crowd, he makes his way to my side. With everyone here then, Amon decides to go ahead and get the meeting underway. "Comrades, greetings. I'm going to make this meeting quick, even though there is much for us to discuss and for me to reveal. We've a great deal of work ahead of us, and I want no time wasted." A brief pause. "First of all, let me introduce…" _Oh no… _"and congratulate our newest officers: Sergeant Ming Ku-Sim and Corporal Taak."

I'm frozen in place, the butterflies too much to handle, but Taak pats me on the back and notions forward. Hesitantly, I step forward. "Th-Thank you." I say, with a small bow. That's my limit, however. I immediately shrink back as Taak gives a bow as well. I keep my eyes to the table in front of me; I don't want to know what looks all the other officers hold on their faces.

"The two of them have successfully infiltrated the Triple Threat. Sergeant Ku-Sim will now be continuously feeding us information on them. And Corporal…"

"Y-Yes sir?" Taak stammers.

"You're to be her contact between us and the triad."

"Sir."

"So is the Triple Threat our first target?" An officer I do not know asks.

"That's correct." Amon responds. "Striking any of the smaller triads will only give the Triple Threat more room to expand and thus become a more difficult adversary to take down. No, we take the alpha wolf out first, and the others will quickly follow."

There is silence, but it is eventually broken by another officer I haven't seen before. "Alright, I'll be the one to ask." She says. "How? How are we going to bring down the Triple Threat? It's not like we can wage war in the streets of Republic City."

I can't see if it's true, but my mind imagines Amon is smiling at the comment. "No, we cannot." He says. "That is why we are choosing espionage instead." A glance my direction.

"What is our ultimate goal, then? How are we to beat a monster like Zolt?"

Amon exchanges a look with his lieutenant, who gives him a small nod. "Before I answer that, I must stress that what I am about to tell you does not leave this room until I deem it fit to," his voice grows even more dark and grim, "under any circumstances. Do I make myself clear?" He doesn't have to tell me twice; I understand crystal clear. Everyone else in the room is similarly resolute. Amon takes a moment before speaking again, compiling his thoughts, then with a lift of his hand, says "I have in me the power to remove a person's bending permanently."

The room erupts into gasps and shock. But their fear is nothing compared to mine. There's little doubt in my mind that I am the only bender here. My eyes turn to Amon for a second, and through the holes in that mask I am able to see that he is returning the glance. _Why, then!? If you can really… If you can really take someone's bending away, why didn't you take mine?_

"But… wait! Hold on!" An officer exclaims. "How!? The Avatar has been the only one in history to ever have the power to take someone's bending away." It was the previous Avatar whom he speaks of. Seventy years ago, the end of the Hundred Years War came when he removed Fire Lord Ozai's bending from him.

"And where is our Avatar now? Hm? You are the last people I need to tell have been abandoned by the Avatar. The spirits have instead chosen **me** to bring balance to the world, and it is for that very reason that I founded the Equalists."

The room is quiet for a moment. I don't blame anyone; it certainly is a lot to take in. Sergeant Chun breaks the ice. "I'm sorry… sir," She says, with fierce hesitation, "but I simply can't believe it without proof." _Proof!? But… that would be me, wouldn't it?_

"I understand." Amon replies. "I was hesitant to believe it myself when I first discovered the power; I thought perhaps I was dreaming. Your proof will come, Sergeant." He pauses for a moment. "This leads me to Corporal Tane's question. In one month, we shall hold a rally. It shall be open to any non-benders in Republic City, and in that rally, I shall personally execute Lightning Bolt Zolt's bending as a show of power to the world." It all clicks for me now – why I am spying on the triad, and why that mission has been designated so important. Looking around, I believe everyone else understands fully as well. I breathe a great sigh of relief. _I was just afraid he'd choose me as the victim. I mean… it's not like I want it or anything – far from it… I'd just- I don't know. It sounds scary__._

* * *

The month flies by like it was merely a week, though when I look back by the end of it, I see so much change I can scarcely recognize the Ming of one month ago. It doesn't take long for me to open up to the members of the Equalists. Though I am a higher rank, I am still new, and so the foot soldiers and the watchers and all those at the bottom of the ladder have a sort of solidarity with me that they have trouble forming with the other officers. We joke and tease each other, we share conversation over meals, and some even share information with me that they don't want any of the other higher-ups to know about. In cases like those, I have to put on the face I'm not very good at wearing and remind them that I am in actuality an officer, and they really shouldn't say such things. Taak however – he is an officer in name only – as far as everyone's concerned (including himself) he's still a newbie to mess around with. I think he enjoys it like that, however. The two of us become closer and closer as time goes on. About halfway through the month it ceases to be a secret that we are together, and that of course only intensifies the playful teasing. I'm usually too horribly embarrassed to retaliate with words of my own, so Taak picks up the role of the protector and tells them off. It's a futile effort, but a kind one.

The triad on the other hand – though I work with them nearly every day, I never get any more comfortable around them. I'm always walking on eggshells whenever I report to Zolt or one of his men in his place. Every word specifically chosen, every gesture scrutinizingly performed, and every mote of information carefully tailored to be exactly what we want them to know. Not actually seeing the police force like Zolt thinks I am, what I leak to the Triple Threat is one percent information that will eventually lead them into Amon's grand trap, twenty percent actual helpful information our spies nabbed from the police so I might gain favor with them, and the rest mere fluff to make it all believable.

However, the greatest advancement we make in that month toward our cause has nothing to do with the triads. Hiroshi Sato, the CEO and founder of Future Industries, the company that created the Satomobile and pioneered assembly line manufacturing, secretly joins our cause. His alliance nets us a great increase in the weaponry and technology available to us. Our footsoldiers prowl the nights on their two-wheeled motorbikes, our headquarters is equipped with state of the art machinery and defense, and everyone now has advanced weaponry at their disposal, specifically created for non-benders who need a way to combat those with bending ability. Electrified batons and smoke grenades are just the beginning – he says he has a lot more waiting to be fully developed, but that it'll be fantastic once it's finished. In addition to that, we all have helmets now. They cover our heads entirely, have a rebreather in the mouthpiece, and even special goggles that let the wearer see in the dark. I tried wearing it once, but felt far too confined in it – I took it off quickly and haven't put it on again since.

Despite this progress, not all goes as planned. One week before the rally is scheduled, surprising news arrives to us. Summoned to an emergency meeting unscheduled and unplanned for, Amon looks over the war room table and says four words that instill fear in every ear that hears them.

"The Avatar is here."


	6. Revelation

Her name is Korra, and she is the Avatar. For a member of the Southern Water Tribe, she is about as far from their quiet, thoughtful, generous stereotype as is imaginable. Instead she is a stubborn, rowdy, egotistical loudmouth – the first thing she did upon entering Republic City was beat the hell out of a trio of Triple Threat members extorting an old shop owner in the Dragon Flats, and then get chased down on her polar bear dog by the police when they came to find the damage she had caused fending the thugs off. Currently she is in their custody, Chief Bei-Fong no doubt berating her to no end. Up until her arrival Taak and I had a silly fantasy that we had never heard of her existence because she felt similarly to us in regards to bending – we hoped that perhaps she rejected her gift. But instead, we find she's almost as bad as the triads when it comes to flaunting her bending in others' faces. So much for me finding a kindred spirit out there somewhere.

* * *

It was the same man who recruits me into the Equalists who spots the Avatar, though at the time he thought her simply a waterbender. Times have changed in this past month; he does not have to work to obtain the crowd's support like he did before, but merely say a few inflammatory words at the young Avatar and the people are riled to aid him, helping to shoo her away.

Her arrival, however, cannot be ignored. Amon, as well as the lieutenant and many of the officers agree that it has escalated the situation. As a result, the rally is moved forward by four days. It was originally on a full moon, but with the Avatar being a waterbender before the other elements, the last thing we need, should she choose to interfere (and Amon believes she will) is a full moon turning her strongest bending even more powerful. Unfortunately for me, that means I have to do more work in less time. The plan has been for me to warn the Triple Threat of a police raid on a branch hideout the night before the rally, so defense will be concentrated away from the main headquarters when we strike. Now, instead of giving them a week's notice, which would seem more plausible, I get three days. _Maybe the urgency will disorganize them. …Maybe._

When I meet with my contact for the Triple Threat, the earthbender Talim, I put on a look of extreme urgency. I give him the story we came up with: that a police officer let slip the plan to strike the hideout, and that later I snuck about and found some documents that proved it. He doesn't need too much convincing, but to strengthen my story, I offer to come with him to tell Zolt in person, even though in truth I do **not** want to. _If this is the last time I ever have to deal with these scumbags I will be so thankful. _"No, that's fine. I'll tell him. You're absolutely sure?" He says.

I assure him I am, looking especially worried. "It looked big, too. I saw the names of some of those going in. Song, Mai-Yu, Lao. Top-notch metalbenders, all of them."

"Yeesh." He grumbles. "Alright, I'll get the word out quick. We're going to owe you a big thanks after all this goes down." _Yes, that's right. You __**will**__ owe us. Taking away your bending will be the best thing that's ever happened to you._

At this point I'm supposed to keep an eye on them to make sure they're buying the story and acting more or less as we want them to, but I decide I don't want to deal with these thugs anymore (and they know my face too well anyway), so instead I put Taak on watch. He's done it before; none of them remember his face from the incident outside the restaurant. My presence is more welcome at headquarters anyway. This is the first major operation we've had, many of the lowest members are nervous, frightened. I can't blame them – I am too. I try to play the role of the good sergeant and calm them down, and it works, though not because of the sad attempt at pep talks I give them. It's because they can see even the officers are as jittery as they are.

The day before the rally arrives, and headquarters is eerily quiet. No one has time for any nonsense today, as everyone is busy preparing for the operation, both physically and mentally. Late at night, under the cover of darkness, the kidnapping takes place. Our most elite fighters are sent, men and women with complete mastery over chi blocking martial arts, armed to the teeth with Sato's advanced weaponry. "Part of me wishes I could go." Taak says to me as we are in the mess hall with a bunch of others, all of us anxiously awaiting the result of the mission. Taak and I are sitting against one of the walls, I sitting in front of him leaning back against his chest. "Just so I could see the look on that asshole's face when he realizes he isn't the one with the power anymore."

I exhale a deep breath before responding. "I know how you feel. But don't worry. We'll see him when they bring him here. And wait until he finds out what Amon's going to do with him." I smile.

"He'll probably crap a bolt of lightning in fright!" Taak says, and we both have a quiet laugh. The folks around us throw us a quick glance, their attention diverted for a moment, but think little, if anything of it. Everyone's gotten used to the two of us being "that one annoying couple".

I think back on what I said for a moment. "I mean it though. Every time I had to be near him, or any of his thugs, I felt like I was going to be sick to my stomach."

"Aww…" Taak cooes and hugs me close. It feels wonderful to be in his arms, but he's skilled at jokingly spoiling the moment. "I'll be sure to kick him in the dick for you." He says, and I can't help but let out a small giggle. "Unless you want to be the one to do the honors."

_It's a tempting thought… _I hold one of his hands in mine. It's warm; if there's one thing the water tribesmen of the frozen tundra excel in, it's keeping warm. "All I want him to know it was me that did him in, just before he loses his most precious possession."

Taak loosens his arms, setting them on my legs. "My, we're spiteful, aren't we?"

I blush a bit. "Well… no, I…" I stutter, and he snickers softly. "It's … it has nothing to do with bending or non-bending with him; he's just an evil man, plain and simple."

Taak thinks for a moment. "I don't know. Maybe it's **because** of his bending."

"Maybe…" I repeat. "Who knows. There are some genuinely nice benders out there."

"Funny, I've never seen any." A man nearby interjects. As soon as I hear his words I realize what a bad idea it probably was to say what I did. "Where're you seeing 'nice benders'?"

I don't have anything to respond to him with. It was merely a small sliver of self-preservation that made me say that; I like to think I'm kind, and that I'm in the right, but regardless of whether that's true or not, I've never known another person that I knew to be a bender who feels the same way as I do. Taak notices my discomfort and holds me closer, the two of us shutting out the rest of the world to be alone together, but it isn't helping me any. _How can I call myself a good person when I'm lying to all of them? I should've had Amon remove my bending long ago. I know he won't do it himself; he wants me to come clean and be a martyr. And he's right – that's what I __**should**__ do. If the masses see one bender giving up her power for our cause then more will surely follow. But I haven't. I've kept it a secret just like always. I haven't even told Taak… I don't even know if I can now. It's probably too late. The window passed long ago._

Taak's voice brings me back to the world. "There's nothing wrong with being optimistic." He says, raising his voice enough to confront the man.

The man, being of a lower rank, nonchalantly clears his throat. "Apologies, Corporal. I'm… just a little on edge, I guess. Sorry."

"That's fine, I understand." Taak responds, then moves out of the way of me so he can stand up and address the hall. "But I think we all need to remember: benders aren't our enemy. Our enemy is bending itself. Bending is an affliction, and it's our job to cure them."

"How can you 'cure' someone of bending?" A disgruntled voice responds. "That's ridiculous." Amon's ability is still largely secret, knowledge of it only given to officers and select members given high profile jobs that require them to be in the know. Amon tells each of them personally; it's something I respect about him.

"Well…" Taak stammers for a moment. "It's like depression, or anxiety, or anger. You don't confront them about it, you help them." I feel my chest start to swell in sorrow. He doesn't know it of course, but Taak's words cut straight into me. "Sure, most probably don't even know how much they're hurting others, but what if they did? Imagine you were that person, that kind of bender. Wouldn't it hurt?" It does. It hurts so horribly my eyes are near to bursting with tears, though I try to hold them back for the sake of saving face in front of so many subordinates.

Thankfully, I'm saved by the intercom. "Extraction team has returned, and they have the captives." The voice in it blares. "I repeat, the extraction team has secured the captives and will be at headquarters in no more than one hour. Everyone, proceed to your stations. Helmets on. Weapons at the ready."

The mess hall explodes into life and movement, everyone having completely forgotten about the topic before. I take a quick moment after swiftly standing up to rub my eyes. Taak notices. "Ming? Are you alright?" He asks, concerned.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" I assure him. "Just… these helmets! You know I hate them. No choice though." My attempt at playing it off is feeble, and it doesn't fool him one bit, but this isn't at all the time to talk about it, so it is set aside for another time. In truth, I really do despise these helmets, but our orders were strict. Amon wanted everyone in full uniforms; no faces could be seen whatsoever. He wanted real fear put into these men as they were transferred to the holding blocks, and I am entirely fine with that. So I take a moment to ready myself, then slip the rubbery mask over my head and down to my neck, adjust it a bit, then head out with Taak once everything is ready and highly uncomfortable.

Seeing Zolt a battered man is rather pleasing. There are six captives total: Zolt, Shin, and Halim, two other triad members, and one random earthbender who must've been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"They will all be made an example of!" Amon zealously proclaims to all the Equalists after the captives are secured away. Everyone is gathered in the headquarters' main hall, Amon standing before them like a messiah, and I and all the other officers behind him, still in full uniform. "Not even the Avatar could stop us!" She certainly tried, chasing down the truck and motorbikes through the dark streets of the city. Considering she picked a fight with the Triple Threat the other day, it must be the random earthbender she's trying to save. _Personally I would let him go so we don't have to worry about the Avatar, but I guess Amon doesn't want to be seen as weak. And if some of our fighters were able to go toe-to-toe with her in combat, then she can't be __**too**__ powerful… right? _"Ready yourselves, brothers and sisters! For tonight Republic City will know the power of the Equalists! Tomorrow, we will come one step closer to our destiny!" A great cheer roars throughout the hall.

The next day is a tense one for everyone, even more so than yesterday. Having received little sleep, I finding myself yawning all day, even though I'm terribly fretful over tonight's rally. The prisoners are kept locked up tight in the holding area, and anyone who goes in to see then must wear their uniform, helmet and all. So I am very thankful I wasn't chosen to be one of those people. I've still got my hands full, however. My mission of espionage over, I've now been charged with security. There are going to be a lot of people at this rally, and everyone expects there to be some ears out there working for the police or one of the triads or whomever. Many are even betting the Avatar herself will make another surprise appearance like she did last night. _I wouldn't be surprised considering we still have her friend. _I spend the majority of the day working with Sergeant Chun, who is now in charge of counter-intelligence, discussing means to weed out spies and speaking with the volunteers who'll be working as bouncers checking everyone who comes in, as well as the troops assigned to lookout and patrol duty. Fortunately for us, the venue for our rally is inconspicuous enough. One of Mr. Sato's privately owned warehouses in the Docks district, now unused and cleared out, it is far from the scrutinous eyes of the law enforcement of Republic City. Also, though the rally is advertised, the location was not given away to just anyone. Four of the flyers had to be combined in order to reveal a map pinpointing the exact location.

It is at sunset, as I am giving the perimeter one last look over to make sure everything's as secure as it can be, when I receive an unexpected visitor. The lieutenant arrives with a startling order.

"S-Sir!" I stammer, saluting as he approaches, surprised to see him out of the blue.

"At ease, Sergeant." He responds. I lower my hand. He then hands me a charcoal pencil sketch of a woman's head and shoulders. "Do you know who this is?" He asks.

I take a brief look at it. "A… waterbender, sir?" Her hair is tied in three places, twice for her bangs, over either temple, and once behind in a large ponytail. Her facial features say Water Tribe.

"The Avatar." Answers the lieutenant. I take another look, this time closer. _This is her!? But she looks… nice! I was expecting a total thug. _

"I understand." I respond. "I'll show this to all the lookouts and tell them to keep an eye out for-"

"You're not to be keeping her **out**." He juts in. "You're going to let her in."

I don't understand. "I… beg your pardon?"

"She was in the park this morning harassing our recruiters again. It is almost certain she will show up today. And when she does, we're going to play dumb and act like we don't know who she is; lead her into a false sense of security."

"Does that mean Amon is going to remo-" I gasp and cover my mouth mid-sentence, realizing what I almost let slip.

"Maybe. I don't know. He's keeping secrets again." He pauses for a second. "Well, I trust him either way. Be sure to get the word out to everyone as soon as you can. We start letting people in in an hour." He leaves me to my work then. I take another look at the drawing. _Still can't believe that's her. _They say the previous Avatar was a pacifist; I have an even harder time believing that.

An hour later and the warehouse starts filling up. Two hours after that and it's packed full, and the rally is ready to begin. No sign of the Avatar yet, but then again I haven't asked. I've left my trust in Taak to manage security. I've got a personal vendetta to attend to. "Lightning Bolt Zolt." I say in a low voice, approaching the man as he and the others are all tied up backstage.

"Yeah, and who the hell are you? Aren't you a little short to be an Equalist?" I have my helmet on, so of course he can't see who I am.

I do my best to stop my shaking knees. _No. Don't show fear this time, Ming. Stand strong. _"You don't recognize my voice?" I ask.

"I can barely understand a thing you all say underneath those stupid masks." He retorts. _Looks like the fear tactic didn't work on him. _I glance to the Avatar's earthbending friend. _It's working great on him, though. _"Why don't you take it off so I can get a look at your ugly mug, huh babe?"

I've been waiting for an excuse to do just that all day. "Fine." I say, then unlock the latch at the back of my neck and slowly lift the helmet over and off my head, enjoying the cool breeze that rushes in to fill the void.

As soon as he sees my face, his turns to indignant fury. "You!" He snarls. "Why you double-crossing little-" He is interrupted by a snarky cough. "Yeah, I know you told me, Shin! Shut your trap!" He turns back to me. "When I get outta this, kid, I'm gonna-"

"You're going to **what**?" I say with a confidence rarely felt.

"You want me to bash his knees, Sergeant?" One of the troops keeping watch over the prisoners asks in a joking manner.

I send a smile his way. "Don't worry. He'll be powerless soon enough."

None of them have any idea what I'm talking about, of course, so the white noise of the warehouse fills the air around us instead, until the random earthbender breaks the ice. "You know, (ahem) Sergeant… you're uh… you're kinda cute." He says with his best attempt at flattery to hide the bone-shaking terror inside him.

Ashamedly, I find myself blushing a tiny bit. Truth be told, he's not bad looking himself – a little pudgy, with a baby face framed by a pair of big, bushy eyebrows. Underneath my breath I mumble, embarrassed, "Shove off; I've... I've got a boyfriend already."

"What was that?" He smiles, continuing the charade.

"I said…!" I raise my voice for a moment, then calm myself and lower it back to normal. "Forget it. There's no point talking with you now. Not before Amon's through with you."

" 'Through with us'?" Zolt growls. "The hell does that freak thing he can do to us?"

I flirt with the idea of telling him, but just as I do, the loudspeaker whines to life and the lights over the stage flash on. I smirk as I put my helmet back on. _He can tell them himself._ Instead I simply wave a hand to the troops to get the captives ready for their grand debut on-stage.

Outside over the crowd, a voice explodes across the warehouse. "Please welcome your hero," it shouts dramatically, "your savior… Amon!"

A great cheer and applause erupts. When it eventually dies down, Amon steps forward to the microphone to give his introduction. "My quest for equality began many years ago." He begins. "When I was a boy, my family and I lived on a small farm. We weren't rich, and none of us were benders. This made us very easy targets for the firebender who extorted my father." The crowd listens on in respectful silence. "One day however, my father confronted this man… but when he did, that firebender took my family from me, and… he took my face as well. Ever since, I've been forced to hide behind a mask." Few of us, myself included, know much of anything about Amon's past. All any of us ever knew was that he held scars; to hear it all sheds new light on the man and his motives. "As you know," he continues, "the Avatar has recently arrived in Republic City," A chorus of booes reverberates throughout the air, "and if she were here, she would tell you that bending brings balance to the world, but she is wrong! The only thing bending has brought to the world is suffering!" I think back, to several years ago, when bending did just that to me and my family. _If only he knew how right he was…_ "It has been the cause of **every** war in **every** era, but that is about to change. I know you have been wondering: what **is** 'the revelation'? Well, you are about to get your answer! Since the beginning of time, the spirits have acted as guardians of our world… and they have spoken to me. They say the Avatar has failed humanity! That is why the spirits have instead chosen **me** to usher in a new era of balance! They have granted me a power that will make equality a reality: the power to take a person's bending away… permanently."

Everyone, even several of our own troops, are smitten with surprise. I have to snap them out of it quick. "That's our cue." I tell them, pointing to the captives, then out into the open. Slowly, facing futile resistance, we lead them to their justice. For the first time, I see a real look of fright on Zolt's face, and it is a welcome sight.

"Now, for a demonstration." Amon says. All the prisoners are brought out on-stage, then Zolt is pushed out in front, standing aside Amon. The other five are pushed down to their knees. I stand alongside the lieutenant and the other officers at the back of the stage. The shining spotlights are incredibly bright on all of us, but thankfully the goggles inside my helmet filter most of it out. It doesn't do anything to combat the heat however; I'm already sweating horribly under all this. "Please welcome Lightning Bolt Zolt, leader of the Triple Threat triad, and one of the most notorious criminals in Republic City." The crowd once again booes.

"Ah, boo yourself!" Zolt spits.

Amon ignores him and continues. "Zolt has amassed a fortune by extorting and abusing non-benders, but his reign of terror is about to come to an end! However," he says as Zolt's ropes are untied, "in the interest of fairness, I will give Zolt a chance to fight back, in order to keep his bending."

Zolt is immediately on the move. "You're gonna regret doing that, pal!" He laughs, wasting no time throwing out a barrage of fireballs at the masked man. But Amon is too quick for him; he dodges them with ease as they dissipate into thin air. Zolt then turns to his namesake instead, readying a vicious bolt of lightning, but again, Amon is on top of him, moving low and quick, nabbing Zolt's wrist and bringing him under control. The lightning bolt, however, is not. It flashes and growls, scorching black a portion of the stage and knocking out a light fixture. The crowd in the front is beginning to look worried, and I don't blame them; I'm feeling nervous myself, but I have little choice but to trust in Amon's ability to subdue the raging firebender.

Which he does with unmatched precision and skill. With one hand he keeps Zolt's hand and the crackling lightning out of harm's way, and with the other, he simply places a thumb on the triad leader's forehead and concentrates. A second passes, and the wild lightning grows tame and weak. Another second, and it is merely fire. One more, and it is gone completely. Amon then lets go, takes a few steps back, and Zolt falls to the ground. While everyone else is looking on the scene with anxiousness, mine is not born of pride or joy, but of apprehension. It was frightening enough just to hear of Amon's power, but to see it in action sends a chill down my spine. It looked terribly unpleasant and painful for the man.

Zolt tries then to bring himself to his knees and throw out another fireball, but nothing happens – he merely collapses again onto the stage. A gasp echoes across the walls. The realization then dawns upon Zolt as he looks up at Amon and gasps "W… What did you do to me?"

Amon has few words for the broken man before him. "Your firebending is gone… forever." He then turns back to his audience and declares, over the mic, "The era of bending is over! A new era of equality has begun!" He raises a triumphant fist in the air as the warehouse before him cheers. Shady Shin is then untied and kicked unceremoniously front stage as Amon's next victim. But while everyone is concentrated on him, I notice something else. Among the crowd, two figures are on the move. A man in a red scarf is pushing towards the front, while making her way to the right is a woman, and not just any woman…

_The Avatar!_ I think for a moment as she sneaks away to the side hallways on how to proceed, then step towards the lieutenant and tug on his sleeve to get his attention. "Lieutenant." I whisper. "It's her - the Avatar. She's here."

A look of surprise escapes him for a split-second. "Are you sure?" He confirms.

I nod. "I saw her duck out of the crowd and go into the hallway. And her friend with the red scarf is making his way through the audience. Look."

The lieutenant thinks for a moment, looking out into the crowd as Amon takes Talim's bending. "Alright. Gather whomever you can find and get ready to apprehend the Avatar. I'll go after her friend."

"Got it." As nonchalantly as I can manage, I sneak off-stage and start nabbing any troops I come across as the last of the triad members is brought before Amon. In little time however a loud explosion rocks the warehouse, and almost instantly a great cloud of warm steam spreads throughout the entire building, nearly blinding everyone inside. _She's striking! _My first thought is of the crowd, afraid that people might get trampled trying to flee, but I remember my orders, praying Taak and the others can keep that from happening. "C'mon!" I rally the eight men and women I've got under me. "To the alley! That's their only means of escape! We have to be quick!" The sounds of combat outside greet our ears. _That must be the lieutenant. _As we approach the door to the exit however, they come to a stop. _Oh, I hope we're not too late! _

We are. The lieutenant bested the firebender in the red scarf and his brother, the earthbender we had captured, but the Avatar arrived to turn the tides in her favor. As soon as my platoon and I burst onto the scene, she is already escaping with her friends on the back of her polar bear dog. But I'm not so ready to give up just yet. "Hurry!" I exclaim. "We can still catch them!"

"Let her go." Amon interrupts from atop a balcony. _Let her…?_

"But why?" Says the lieutenant, out of breath. _My thoughts exactly!_

Amon holds an answer sinister. "She's the perfect messenger to tell Republic City of my power."

I'm not sure if I agree with that line of thinking, whether or not it's an honestly good idea for our rebellion or if it's just Amon's pride, but those are his orders. I watch on as the Avatar escapes, and once she is out of sight, the sheer magnitude of all I'd just done over the course of the night catches up with me, and a frightened shiver runs through my spine. _I… must be crazy._


	7. Investigation

His name is Tarrlok, and he is the chairman of the United Republic Council and the council representative for the Northern Water Tribe. On the outside, he is a reasonable man, well-liked by the people of Republic City, but Amon has told us of his true nature. He is in truth ruthlessly ambitious, manipulative, and cares little for who gets caught in the way of his goals. Just how Amon knows this of the councilman is a mystery, but then again all of us have our mysteries, Tarrlok included. No one quite knows his background, only that he came to Republic City from the Northern Water Tribe as a teenager after his parents passed away. In that sense, I can't help but feel a strange solidarity with the man, our stories so similar, even though he is our greatest enemy. But unlike Tarrlok's rise through the ranks of Republic City, there is little hope of me ascending anywhere unless we are the victors in this growing conflict.

* * *

"Good evening, my fellow equalists." Amon speaks into the microphone that is now broadcasting all over Republic City. "This is your leader, Amon." Taak and I were listening to the music previously, waiting for Amon's unscheduled interruption to take place. _If there's one thing I miss about the old days, it's the music. The stuff here is just so… blech. _"As you have no doubt heard, the Republic Council has voted to make me public enemy number one, proving once again that the bending oppressors of this city will stop at nothing to quash our revolution."

"Heh, 'quash'. I like that word." Taak chuckles. I shush him and keep listening.

"But we cannot be stopped." Amon continues. "Our numbers grow stronger by the day. You no longer have to live in fear. No… the time has now come for **benders** to experience fear."

The broadcast ends and the lackluster music returns. "Aww, I was hoping for a radio announcer to start quivering in fear." Taak says, pretending to have a horrible shiver running through him.

I have a small laugh at his antics, but it isn't a genuine one. In truth, I'm deep in thought. "You know, sometimes I wonder…"

"What's that?" He smiles.

"Well, it's just…" I sigh. _I should've kept my mouth shut. Now I have to explain myself… _"There was a boy I met when I was very young, when I was only seven years old. His name was Guin, and… he was a bender."

Taak's face hints at concern. "What kind was he?" He asks.

"It doesn' matter." It actually does, but I don't tell him that. "It's just… we grew close for many years," more concern from Taak, "but… I believe it was only because I was afraid of him. I was afraid of his power. It was an unhealthy, detrimental relationship we had, so… I can' help but wonder if using fear is really the best tactic."

Taak can't quite think of what to say in return. He thinks for a second, then asks a question. "Is that why you left Ba Sing Se?"

"…Among other reasons, yes." I answer.

"Did he follow? What happened to him?"

I take a moment before answering. "He died." is all I say before the two of us, in grim silence, head off to bed for the night.

* * *

It's been three weeks since the rally, and in that time this news that a special task force has been formed to hunt us down is the first monumental thing to happen, though that doesn't mean we haven't been busy all this time – far from it. Thanks to the rally, we've seen a tremendous influx of new members, and that means lots of training, lots of questions being asked, and lots of paperwork for me to do. To be honest, I'm kind of fine with the last of those three; some time working alone is a welcome reprieve from the hectic atmosphere of others. My job the same as it was during the rally, maintaining security around headquarters has kept me consistently busy. The dramatic increase in the number of members has been both a boon and a burden. More people of course means more resources available, but it also means more people that need to be looked after. If I had a yuan for every time one of the new recruits gets lost in the sewers or forgets proper entering procedure and is mistaken for an intruder, I'd be as rich as Mr. Sato, our generous benefactor.

But it's not all bad news. Speaking of Mr. Sato, they have a special helmet made for me. To help prevent any anxiety attacks from my claustrophobia it's given an open mouth similar to the lieutenant's, and it doesn't constrict my neck like the others do. For the most part it works. It's still a little unsettling wearing it, but if I remain calm about it I get by fine.

However, despite all our progress, this task force Councilman Tarrlok has put together spells trouble. No one believes it will decide the game between him and Amon, but it will certainly make matters more difficult for us. Fortunately, the Avatar, despite Tarrlok's best efforts, decided to not join him, a surprising decision. Everyone thought a rowdy girl like her would jump at the chance to 'beat up some bad guys'.

A couple days later however and Amon believes that may soon change. Finding me patrolling the hallways, he addresses me formally. "Sergeant Ming Ku-Sim."

Immediately I stand at attention. "Sir?"

"How would you like to return to your old espionage job for a night?"

"S-Sir?" I repeat. "I'm… not sure I understand. What do you mean 'for a night'?"

"Councilman Tarrlok is throwing a gala in the Avatar's honor, and I want someone of ours there, just to watch and observe."

I hesitate a moment before answering."I'm… honored you'd choose me again, sir, but… Well, I… grew up kind of poor;" **_Really_**_ poor more like… _"I'd have no idea how to act at a fancy party like that."

"That's no problem – everyone's eyes will be on the Avatar. You could bathe in the punch bowl and no one would notice. That's just how those people are – inattentive to the small folk." _Great. Once again it's because I'm small._ I'm not exactly sure whether I have a choice in the matter, so to avoid confrontation over it (and to avoid all the mayhem around headquarters) I agree to the job. "Excellent." He pulls out from a wad of paper yuans, rolled up. "Here's the money to buy clothing for the event."

My hands are almost shaking; I've never held this much money before. "Sir!" I salute. "I'll do the best I can."

"Good. And Mr. Sato will have your invitation by tomorrow morning. I'll have someone get it to you when it's made."

The gala is tomorrow night, so the next day in the afternoon I go out into the town and find something suitable to wear at a fancy party. Upon reaching the place recommended to me buy Sergeant Chun (though hard to believe, she used to work in fashion before joining the Equalists), I find myself terribly intimidated by it. Everything about it screams "This is not the place for you, Ming." and even though I feel like I'll be scolded if I go in, I bring myself to enter.

Immediately a sales associate swoops in on me like a hawk. "Yes, can I help you?"

"I- uh… m… well…"

She takes a look at the old clothing on my back. "Are you sure you're in the right place, little girl?"

I fumble with my pocket for a moment pulling out the wad of cash. "I-I've been told to come here to get-"

As soon as she sees the money her talon-like hands snatch it from me and start counting it up. Surprised at just how much is there, she asks "You didn't steal this, did you?"

"No!" I cry out. "It's… it's my uncle's. He's taking me to a fancy dinner… thing… and he wants me to look nice."

That convinces her enough. Wasting little time she takes me back into the shop and starts picking out things she thinks would look nice. "Any particular fashion? Earth Kingdom? Fire Nation? Water Tribe?"

I dart my eyes to the side. "You don't have anything for…?"

"What, for Air Nomads? No, of course not."

"No, that's not what I meant. I mean-"

"Oh, non-benders! Yes, of course. Come, over here." _You thought of the __**Nomads**__ before non-benders? And so many people wonder why they feel oppressed._

When I escape the clothing outlet, it is with the kind of outfit I never thought would be on my frame: a bare-shouldered dress of white satin that falls down to my knees, clamped in place with a yellow-beige sash, white velvet arm-length gloves, and a pair of white dress shoes with matching stockings. I can scarcely believe it's me when I see myself in the mirror. Thankfully, I have enough money left over to call a taxi to take me to the gala. _No way I could make it that far in these shoes…_

I'm a bit early to the gala, but there's already a crowd. After paying the cab driver my fare, I take one last moment to calm my nerves before going in. It doesn't help one bit to quell my anxiety, but I wasn't really expecting it to. Alongside the grand entrance to the hall the gala is taking place in are two great banners hanging down from the roof, the Avatar's image on both of them. _She really __**is**__ full of herself, isn't she? _Walking slowly up the stairs to the door, I pull out my invitation and look it over once more. _And of course they used the wrong character for my name. Oh well. Here goes nothing…_ I approach the valet and hand him my invitation. He looks it over briefly, then looks me over briefly, and then with a professional smile, says "Welcome, Miss Ku-Sim. Please, enjoy yourself." I hand him the bag with my old clothes in them for safekeeping, then enter.

Inside is like another world to me. A big hall, grand chandeliers of light, fancy people in their fancy clothing, and off to the side… _Food!_ My stomach growls, caring not a bit for who may hear it. _I was so worried about this party I forgot to eat! _But, though I may be entirely unused to this rich atmosphere, I know well enough I can't go inhaling all the appetizers like a child. _They probably already think you are one, no need to act like one too. Well… maybe just a little._

Five deviled eggs later Mr. Sato arrives alone. I casually sneak through the hall to greet him. "Ah, you must be Miss Ku-Sim." He says as I approach.

Here before me is one of the most important, most wealthy men in all of Republic City, speaking to **me**, directly engaged in conversation with **me** – if there's ever a time for me to not lose my voice in fright, this is it. "Yes." I manage to say. "And you are Mr. Hiroshi Sato."

He smiles. He is a man well into his middle-age, with a violent streak of gray alongside either side of his head, tiny spectacles on his nose, and a rich black suit on his shoulders. "You look rather lovely, I must say." He tells me. I smile, always unsure of what to say in response to compliments like this. "While I mean no offense towards you personally, I must ask that we not look as though we know each other. You understand, yes?"

"O-Of course." I respond. "Though… I must admit I don't know a soul here. It's… disconcerting."

He chuckles lightly. "Oh, you'll get used to it. Don't be afraid to talk to anyone. Just… don't talk **too** much, obviously." He says with a wink, then turns to other guests for meager chitchat. _Sorry, Mr. Sato but… being afraid to talk is kind of what I'm best at._

Fifteen minutes later standing alone by a column supporting the second-floor balcony, the Avatar finally arrives. Tarrlok, whom I've kept one of my eyes on since I first spotted his three ponytails among the crowd, taps a wine glass with a utensil to get everyone's attention. "Ladies and gentlemen," he says, "may I present Avatar Korra." A light round of applause from delicate hands is given as she enters the shining hall from the back entrance, along with Tenzin and his family. Down a set of wide stairs they make their way, all looking regal (well, excluding Tenzin's children). The councilman is in a robe the Air Nomad colors of yellow and reddish orange, while the Avatar dons the tradition Water Tribe attire, with modifications to accommodate the situation: a long, navy blue skirt in place of pants and moccasin boots, and her hair is let down – members of the Water Tribes only let their hair down in public for very special occasions. _Funny that Tarrlok hasn't. I thought this was __**his**__ party._ He does however step forward to greet his guest of honor. They chat for a moment, then he takes the Avatar to meet Mr. Sato. Quietly, inconspicuously, I move a little closer, listening in very carefully to tune out everyone else.

"-is my pleasure to introduce Republic City's most famous industrialist, Hiroshi Sato."

"Nice to meet you." The Avatar says with a bow. It's strange to hear her speak with her voice instead of her fists.

"We're all expecting great things from you, you know." Mr. Sato says with a smile.

"Hey, Korra!" A voice exclaims. The owner quickly appears aside Mr. Sato, a tall, handsome man with soot-black hair and a red scarf wrapped awkwardly around the collar of his fine-pressed suit. At his arm is a woman, regal and beautiful in appearance. _Tall, too… Something about her irks me the wrong way…_

"This is my daughter, Asami." Announces Mr. Sato.

"It's lovely to meet you!" She says enthusiastically. "Mako's told me so much about you."

I am about to sneak in just a little closer when who should appear but the one face I forgot would be here, the one face I can't let see me: the Avatar's earthbender friend, the brother of the one in the red scarf, and the only one who's seen my face with an Equalist uniform. Immediately I turn around, raising my shoulders like a frightened cat. _Have to get out! Have to get away! _Praying he didn't notice me in the brief moment I noticed him, I weave through the crowd back to the comfort and safety of the food table. Once I'm there, I chance a look back, and they're all busy chatting. _Phew. Okay… I think I'm safe._ To calm my nerves I pour a glass of ice water and take a drink when…

"Hey lady! Are you an airbender?" A little voice asks from underneath me. Totally surprised, I do a genuine spit-take, spraying water in fright all over what's remaining of the deviled eggs. Looking down, I see two little faces poking out from under the tablecloth, a boy and a girl, both in Air Nomad clothes. _Tenzin's children._

"Why on earth… would you think that?" I answer, not quite sure what to say to these kids.

"I dunno, you just kinda look like one, I guess!" The little girl says.

"I… look like one?"I look over my clothes for a second, pinching one of the white gloves and tugging at it. "Don't you guys only wear yellow and orange?"

"Yeah!" The little boy cheers. "And you gotta have an arrow on your head, and you gotta make the air go WHOOSH!" He says, bending a gust of air to lift up the tablecloth and rattle all the dishes atop it. My dress flies up as well for a split-second – more than enough to make the two kids run off, laughing madly from the sight underneath. Frazzled and embarrassed, I take a moment to fix my hair and dust off my clothes, and for a moment, I feel a slight bit of pity for the man who has to deal with these monsters every day.

Another fifteen or so minutes go by, and I'm not quite sure what I should be doing here anymore. _People often let things slip during idle chit-chat, but it doesn't even look like there __**is**__ anything to let slip here. Just politics and business. Oh well… At least I got a nice dress out of it. I wonder if I get to keep it._ As I'm off in another world mumbling to myself, a quick body appears at my side, and who should it be but the Avatar herself. She too is looking around as though trying to escape someone. I'm too nervous by her presence to even move, let alone speak to her. _Please don't say anything to me, __**Please **__don't say anything to me!_

She says something to me. "Phew. I think I lost him. I'm gonna hide here with you for a bit, 'kay?"

I slowly crane my neck to the left to meet eyes with hers, my knees shaking. "L-L-Lost who?" I manage to ask, ditching the Colonial accent, praying it helps hide my identity. The only other person who's heard how I naturally speak is Taak, but it is only when I am alone with him. To others I speak as they do in Republic City. I must be great at it, because no one suspects it as fake.

"Tarrlok. The guy won't leave me alone! I didn't even wanna come here in the first place, but I thought I'd at least be able to enjoy myself a little if I did."

"Didn' want to come? But… isn' this all for you?"

"Yeah, don't remind me." She says through chewing a cube of cheese. _Making noise… while eating… oh god get me out of here… _"I didn't really have a choice but to come here."

"That makes two of us." I sigh.

She hears and understands my mumbling. "Oh? Who'd you come here with?"

"Hiroshi Sato." I say without thinking, instantly remembering afterwards that I'm not supposed to mention we know each other.

"The car guy?" The Avatar asks. I've got her full attention by now; the last thing on earth I want.

"Y-Yeah… He's my uncle." _No! That was a stupid thing to say, Ming! What if she calls your bluff!? And why would his niece speak in a Ba Sing Se accent!?_

"Oh really? Are you a non-bender, too?"

"No- I mean yes! Yes… yes, I am." _I'm losing it! I don't know how much more of this I can take…_

She mulls over her thoughts for a moment, munching on a miniature wiener. "Can I ask you something?" She doesn't really give me time to answer. "I'm just curious to know the perspective of a non-bender: what do you think of Amon and the Equalists?"

_Why!? Why would you ask me that!?_ Part of me is convinced she knows everything about me thanks to some creepy Avatar power and is just playing with me now. "I… well… erm… I don' know."

"You don't know?"

"I don' know."

"I see." Another second of thought. "It's just… he's gotten me so nervous. I never used to think bad about non-benders, but now… now it's like I can't stop thinking who might be one of his people. He's got me totally paranoid."

I take a moment myself to formulate my answer. "Well, now you know what it's like for a non-bender every day of their life." She stops stuffing her mouth with food for just a moment, surprised by my answer. "Never knowing who could end your life just like that, who could choose on a whim to attack you and there'd be nothing you could do to stop them."

The Avatar looks downtrodden. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" The gloomy atmosphere is suddenly broken by a familiar face finding her. "Oh! Mako! Bolin!" She exclaims as the two brothers spot their friend. _Mako? Mako was that guy in the red scarf, wasn't he? Which means Bolin is…! _Immediately I freeze in fright, turning my back to the approaching figures.

"Korra!" One of them, Mako by his voice, replies happily. _Don't see me, don't see me, please don't see me! _"Hiding from Tarrlok?" The Avatar shushes him and he snickers. "Who's your friend?"

"Oh, her? She's uh…" She stops for a moment. "Actually I never **did **get your name, did I?"

"I-It's M-Ming Ku-Sim!" I say quickly, my back still turned to them. _Wait, no! Why did I give them my real name? _"N-nice to meet you!"

"Is… something wrong?" Asks Bolin, who jumps in between the Avatar and me to try and get a look at my face. As soon as he does, I turn to the right, away from him.

"No! Nothing's wrong!" He tries to sneak over to the other side, but I move once again, this time looking straight at the Avatar.

"Korra, I like your friend's accent, but she's really weird." Bolin laughs. _Yes! I'm weird! Now go away!_

"You're telling me. Hey, you two'd make a nice couple then. C'mon, say hi!" With a mischievous grin, she earthbends the marble floor beneath me to spin me around and come face-to-face with the earthbender I helped capture. Bolin and I both freeze. I can't move, or speak, or even think anything other than the hope that he's an idiot and won't recognize me.

Unfortunately, I am not so lucky. "You!" Bolin exclaims, catching the attention of everyone around. "I remember you! You're an Equalist!"

A gasp resounds through the hall. "What!? I-I don' know what you're talking about!" I try and feign ignorance. "I'm not…" My eyes dart back and forth, from Mako to the Avatar, both of whom have already shed their friendly faces for apprehensive ones, to the crowd beyond, all their eyes on me. _What do I do? Think, Ming, think! Do I try to talk my way out of it or do I flee? I can't fight them without resorting to bending… no way I'll ever do that. But running… I'm good at running. And it doesn't look like they're buying my story, so… _So I choose to flee. It means I can never show my face in town again, but it's better than being locked away and ruining everything, for myself and for the Equalists. At least this way I have a chance.

Grabbing the table, I swing myself underneath feet first and roll out on the other side, then before they have a chance to properly react, stand up with my shoulder under the far edge of the table, tossing it over and spilling all of its contents onto the Avatar and her two friends. Then, kicking off the dress shoes in two swift movements, I make a break for it. I don't have time to look back; I only hear Mako's voice shout "Bolin! Hurry! You and I'll take care of this!" _Good – if the Avatar's not after me I've got a decent chance at getting away._ I dodge past the valet and outside into the dark streets. A light drizzle began while I was inside, and now I'm wishing I hadn't ditched the shoes. The cold autumn wetness of the concrete sidewalk instantly soaks the bottom of my stockings and chills my feet. But I can't stop running. _There's a tunnel entrance nearby, but I can't lead them there; I have to lose them first._

I almost don't notice it – the earthbent wall of rock that Bolin juts out from the ground before me. But just at the last moment before it would be too high to climb over, I jump up and put a hand atop it, riding it up until Bolin stops it, then lift myself over and fall down to the other side and continue running. _Good. He's not as skilled as I feared he might be._ I dash out into the road, hoping the traffic will give my pursuers pause, which it does only slightly, though I nearly get hit twice by passing cars. Once I'm on the other side I dash into a dark alleyway, looking for a way up. _Trash can, no – too low… no way to grip on those windows… Aha! There we go!_ A fire escape's ladder is lowered all the way to the ground. Ironically, once I get onto the fire escape, Mako spots me and begins hurling thin balls of fire my way. Only a few come close to hitting me, as the alleyway is too narrow and twisty for him to properly aim from his distance. Seizing on this opportunity, I lift up the ladder and lock it in place so the two can't follow me this way, then start ascending upwards, higher and higher, until I'm on the rooftop. _I'm pretty sure that lost them, but they'll know where I am if I just stay up here. _Fortunately for me, the buildings are packed incredibly tight here, some so close together you couldn't even squeeze in between them. I hop from roof to roof, looking for a way over to another block, where I'll certainly have lost Mako and Bolin. Instead, what I find is a different kind of blessing – a pair of ratty old work shoes someone left on one of the rooftops by a door leading down into the apartment building. In their place I leave the pair of long gloves as thanks.

When I eventually have the guts to lower myself back down to the pavement, it is into a large crowd gathered at one of the corners at a stoplight. I cross with them, and once I'm on the other side do a quick scan to make sure nobody's following me, then breathe a deep sigh of relief and make my way to the nearest entrance to the tunnels, where I'm sure I'll have a number of reprimanding words for me when I get back home.


	8. Apprehension

His name is Mako, and he is the captain of the Fire Ferrets, a rookie underdog team in the Pro Bending Leagues. Bolin and the Avatar are his two wingmen, the Avatar only being allowed to use her waterbending for the purposes of the match. Pro Bending suffers a great deal of criticisms, and not just from the non-benders who find it incredibly discriminatory since they cannot participate in it at all. Some benders find the sport disgraceful, an insult to the long traditions of each school of bending. Personally, though I find it ridiculous, I think much can be learned from it. For example, during matches, benders are restricted to a great number of rules and regulations: each blast of water or fire may not exceed one second, and earthbenders are restricted to only using the stone discs supplied during the match. Before I knew of Amon's power, I (and I'm sure many others) wondered just how equality would be achieved if not through brute force. I believed a great number of restrictions on how benders may use their powers would be a good start for a peaceful transition, but… oh well. I still find it all ridiculous.

* * *

The lecturing I receive back at headquarters isn't as harsh as I thought it would be. I lie and tell the lieutenant I don't know how Bolin knew my face, and he believed it. Fortunately, this means there will be no more espionage missions for me – after that nightmare at the gala I never want to do that again. Instead I'm back to security, this time for Mr. Sato, specifically the one manufacturing plant of his that builds for us instead of his business, Future Industries. _Now __**there's**__ who I'll have to worry about a scolding from._ Mr. Sato has much more tact and wit than I, so it didn't take more than a few words to convince the presses he had no idea who the strange girl at the gala calling herself his niece was. And speaking of the presses…

"You really missed it." Taak says two days after the night I came back to headquarters a shivering, wet mess. I've come down with a mean cold as a result, so much that it had me bed-ridden all day yesterday. Taak makes me food to get better: a "home recipe" chicken noodle soup that honestly tastes horrible, but I eat it all anyway, glad that he's so kind to me. That same night, Tarrlok's task force, along with the Avatar (who finally gave in and joined) managed to knock out one of our chi blocking training facilities, a nasty blow to our operations. "The Avatar blew up in front of the press last night."

"Blew up?" I ask in between coughs. "What'd she do – firebend their eyebrows off?"

"I wish. That would've been fun to see." Taak laughs. "But no, she steps up to the microphone and she goes 'You wanna know why I haven't found Amon? Because he's hiding like a coward, sending agents in his place to spy on us!' "

I have to stifle a laugh. "Good, she didn' call me a kid. Though that sounds just like her, being all high and mighty."

Taak continues with his act, standing tall in our dingy little room. "Amon, I challenge you to a duel! No task force, no chi blockers, just you and me! Let's cut to the chase and settle this thing, if you're man enough to face me!"

I can't hold back the laughter this time. " 'If you're man enough'? Did she really say that?"

"I know, right? What a hot-head. So what was she like anyway? You talked a bit with her, didn't you?"

I cough, trying to keep it muffled. "Well… yeah, I did, but…"

"But…?"

"I don' know, like a roughneck I guess. But kinda normal too – I don' know." Honestly all I can really remember are the nasty noises she made eating and talking at the same time. "So what's Amon going to do about it?" I ask, changing the subject as quickly as I can. "Is he going to show up?"

"He is. And he's bringing a bunch of troops with him. Personally, I was hoping he'd just cream her singlehandedly."

"Too early, I guess." I think on it for a moment. "If he takes away her bending though…"

"…then benders will rally behind her." Taak says. "Well, anyway it's nothing we really need to worry about. Especially not you. Just get some rest and feel better in the morning, okay?"

"I'm already better than I was yesterday, I'll be-" A violent cough interrupts me mid-sentence. Taak just leaves the room with an "I told you so" smirk.

The next morning I find out the ambush went just as planned. She waited on Avatar Aang Memorial Island, as did Amon and a platoon, but they were in hiding, waiting for the Avatar to give up and head home. And as soon as she did, assuming her adversary to be a no-show, they struck, ensnaring her and blocking her chi, making sure to send a cold message of fear to the young Avatar before knocking her out cold and leaving.

Though I still feel sick, I'm more than well enough to get back to work, and so the first order of business for me is to get in contact with Mr. Sato. An underground railtrack built by Mr. Sato's company himself links our headquarters with the manufacturing plant. With no money to ever ride the city monorails, it's been ages since I've been on a train, even if in this case more or less just a mine cart. I'm a little excited, but the low ceiling and dimly-lit tunnels the cart hums through also make me a little nervous by it. The warm underground breeze however is wonderful, a welcome gift over the chilly weather outside.

It takes quite a while to get to the opposite end of the tracks – The plant is of course a secret one, built underneath Mr. Sato's mansion itself on the rich outskirts of town. Even his own daughter, Asami, does not know of its existence. When the cart finally does come a stop, I expect to be greeted by someone, but there's no one present. _Everyone must be hard at work I guess. _The terminal is simple, nothing more than a switchbox to operate the cart, some crates in one corner, and a rusty metal door. The door takes a bit of work to push open, but once it is opened I am greeted with quite an impressive sight. A vast, open underground chamber of metal and machine the likes of which this city has never seen. Two monstrous armored vehicles with a humanoid upper body and tire treads in place of feet sit harbored along the walls while more are being manufactured further in along great complicated networks of assembly lines. From rafters in the ceiling hang massive Equalist posters with the words "Amon is the answer" written in fiery orange ink.

A grey-haired worker approaches me. Before he can speak, I state my name. "I'm Sergeant Ku-Sim. Is Mr. Sato here at the moment?"

"No. No, he's not." He gives me a look like 'You can't possibly be an officer, right?'

"Do you know where he is?"

"Not right now, no. He's probably-"

"I can wait."

Another strange look. "Are you really-"

"Yes. I am. I'm going to be heading security here from now on." _Will that get you to leave me alone already? _It does. He leaves me to return to his work, whatever that currently may be. I take the time to look around the place, thoroughly searching. _Are these walls… platinum? How on earth did he…?_ Platinum is so pure a metal even metalbenders cannot bend it; with the walls being so impenetrable and the entire factory being underground, I can't help but wonder why I'm even needed here at all. There is one other entrance, another rail system, this one leading upwards at a sharp incline. The workers tell me that leads to Sato's mansion, his personal workshop specifically. _I shouldn't operate it then. If someone happened to hear the noise it could be loads of trouble._

Mr. Sato arrives a few hours later to greet me and give me a proper tour. I begin by apologizing profusely for my actions at the gala. He simply laughs and says "You're the one who's screwed over by it, not me. All I had to say was 'She's crazy' and I was in the clear. However…"

"However…?" I repeat.

"I want to take some extra precautions, just in case some hot head with a big imagination starts snooping around."

"Who did you have in mind?"

"Oh, no one in particular – you just never know. A police officer who wants to be a hero, a detective hell-bent on an idea," he lowers his voice, "or an Avatar sticking her nose in places it doesn't belong."

"She… does seem like that type of person."

"She does indeed."

"What did you have in mind, then?"

"Future Industries' main competitor, Cabbage Corp. We'll find a way to make it look like **they're** the ones working with the Equalists."

"How would we do that?" I ask.

"Oh, I'll think of something. Or maybe Amon will, who knows. He's got a million and one ideas behind that mask of his." He smiles through his thick moustache. "Or maybe you will. Any schemes come to mind?"

"I… not really, sorry sir. I'm no good when it comes to business."

He laughs again. "Hey, you never know – you're still young. I was terrible at it too when I started out but look where I ended up!" He continues showing me around, eventually bringing me up to his workshop so I can look around the perimeter of his mansion as well. "Fortunately there's no one else here at the moment, or else you walking around in Equalist uniform would be quite a problem."

I groan. "Unfortunately, the entire city knows my face by now." _I'm the only Equalist with a public face… Of all the rotten luck…_

* * *

Two months pass by. Two months of planning, of plotting, and of little to no activity. Perhaps Amon wishes to keep things quiet for a time so that the city lowers its guard, or perhaps his machinations simply do require more time to move forward. As winter creeps in, the 'mecha-tanks', as they're called, are all finished being manufactured and ready for testing. The problem is, of course, how exactly to test them in combat against benders, and powerful ones at that. When Amon guessed that I was skilled in bending, he sadly was right; I might be a match for one of these things. However I still have not told anyone my secret. If I had, and things wouldn't blow up as a result of it (an impossibility, unfortunately), I would have no qualms using my bending just to help test their war machines. Though, to be honest, they still send a shiver of fright into me every time I see them, with their soulless scuba-helmet-like heads and long, sharp pincers. No, instead my days are long and honestly quite boring, taking the rail-cart to the factory in the morning and then returning in the evening. What really gets to me though is the lack of fresh air, the lack of a sky over my head. I'm almost always underground, and at times it drives me so crazy that I just have to get out and spend some time under the sun, even if it's just in a place no one will find me – on an unused dock by the river, or in Hiroshi's spacious yard while no one else is around. Working side by side all this time, the two of us grown much more friendly with each other; one might think I actually am his niece. Although, one time I am almost spotted by Asami while loitering about above the surface; I don't go back up for a long time after that.

On occasion I'll be in an officers' meeting instead, but there is little to discuss in them other than the same future plans we discussed last meeting, that being the plan to attack the pro-bending arena on the night of the championship. However, we do give them an ultimatum of sorts, though the answer they give is not in the least little bit unexpected to anyone. "I am calling for the Council to shut down the Bending Arena," he says, hijacking the radio waves once again, "or else there **will** be severe consequences."

Of course, Chief Bei-Fong won't back down from a fight. She has all her men on full alert during the match. Patrol boats in the water, police zeppelins in the sky, and metalbenders in the stands. At first, I really didn't care one bit about the match, but then someone had to go and tell me one of the Wolfbats, the champions and the dirtiest team in the league, is also named Ming. _Of course, I get paired with the scummiest of scumbags. _I don't tell anyone, but I'm kind of rooting for the Avatar's team now, if only so my evil doppleganger will get his head smashed in.

They don't, but the match wasn't going to be allowed to end. As soon as the Wolfbats cheat their way to victory, we strike. Well, everyone else strikes – I have to stay back at headquarters. It isn't until Amon and all the troops return that I get the story of just what went down. The Wolfbats are de-bended, the police force is decimated, the arena is destroyed, and finally, years after the founding of the Equalists, we are at true war.

Two days later, on the last day of January, the plan to frame Cabbage Corp is set into motion. I don't know how they did it, but they managed to sneak crates upon crates upon even more crates of Equalist posters and weapons – electrified gloves and kali sticks and so on – into Cabbage Corp. warehouses. The police are then tipped off (something tells me I would've been given that job could I still do it) by a worried 'employee' of Cabbage Corp, and the next day we simply watch the sparks fly. The owner, an elderly man by the name of Lau Gan-Lan, is put under arrest and Bei-Fong announces to the media the company will be closed while further investigations are underway.

This gives Hiroshi a crazy idea. "Ming, could you come down here for a moment?" He shouts to me as I am up in the rafters the next day, watching over the factory. "There's something I want to discuss with you." Once I make my way down to his side, he posits his idea. "I've thought of a way to finally test the mecha-tanks."

"It isn't kidnapping, is it? Because I still don't like that-"

"No no no, it's not that." He assures me. A few weeks ago, he wanted to kidnap some benders and force them to fight the mecha-tanks, almost like a gladiatorial pit. That didn't sit well with me, so I used a rare showing of my authority as head of security and shot the idea down. "We won't force anyone here against their will, we'll make them come on their own. And not just anyone, but Chief Bei-Fong herself."

"You mean…"

"Yes, we'll do the exact same thing to ourselves that we did to Cabbage Corp."

_Tip off the police and then lure them into a trap. _"Hmm… I don't know. That's incredibly risky."

"Our mission as a whole is incredibly risky." He returns. _Can't argue with that. _"And it's not just that – the Avatar."

"The Avatar?" I repeat. "What about her?"

"Remember when I said I was afraid she'd be one to watch out for? Well, I'm fairly certain she was snooping around yesterday when Asami invited her and her friends over to our home, and she overheard me speaking with Amon over the phone."

I think for a moment. '_Snooping'? That doesn't seem like something she'd be very good at… _"Alright, that's fine. But when they come, I'm going to need to be above ground, watching over your estate."

"That's fine – I know you can't pilot one of the tanks because of your erm… you know."

"Yes, I know." I couldn't even bring myself to climb into the cockpit, I panicked so much at the thought of being enclosed up in one of those things.

Taak however – he jumped at the chance, and now he's one of our best pilots. He says it feels absolutely fantastic to be in control of so much power. I carefully admonish him not to let it go to his head. "That's just what the benders we're fighting think like, remember?"

"Yes, ma'am…" He playfully pouts. There's a nagging voice in the back of my mind that says the mecha-tanks won't be enough to combat the metalbenders, but it's not really the weaponry I'm worried about: it's Taak. He's still never seen battle.

"Just be careful, okay?"

"I will, I will. Don't worry! I still owe you for saving my butt back with Zolt." He snickers. "I'm not gonna let you save me twice now."

"Taak, I mean it." I say, my voice deathly serious. "I don' know what I'd do if I lost you to these… these…"

Getting the message, he loses the cool guy attitude, and puts a gentle hand on the back of my head and pulls me close to him. "You won't lose me." He says as I wrap my arms around his waist. "I swear it. We're each other's lifelines, remember?"

"Of course… I just…" My eyes watering, I look up into his, and summoning all my courage, tell him "I love you, Taak."

He can't find words. That's okay, though; we don't need them to convey our feelings anymore.

That night a police zeppelin arrives at the Sato mansion, right on cue. Camped out in a sturdy oak tree, I watch all its passengers disembark through the nifty binoculars in my helmet goggles – Chief Bei-Fong, Tenzin, the Avatar, and a squadron of 10 metalbenders. _She sure isn't kidding around this time… Do be careful, Taak._ Kicking open the front door to the estate, they barge in and make known their business. Of course, Hiroshi's not there – he's down in the factory prepping the mecha-tanks for battle and waiting to spring his trap. He told Asami he was in his workshop, where the entrance to the factory lies in secret. So not long after Bei-Fong and the others burst into the mansion, they come back out, this time with Asami, Mako, and Bolin, and carefully make their way out to the workshop. It doesn't take long before I hear the sounds of the metal floor being torn up, and the rail cart descending down. _Hook, line and sinker._ I hop down out of my tree and sneak up to the workshop window. Looking inside, I see Mako, Bolin, Asami, and Officer Song, the same man whom I met with at the police station several months ago when I first joined the Equalists. Startled to find anyone still above ground, I quickly duck away from the window and take my helmet off. Even when the green glow of the night vision goggles isn't on, they're still easy to spot amidst the blackness of night. While I'm doing that there is a great commotion of noise: a burst of firebending and the vibration of earthbending, followed by several loud thuds. Slowly, I look back up to the window to see Song has been tied up, and the other three are making their way down into the factory. _Inner-party fighting?_ _Well, whatever the reason, it means the coast is clear up here._ Just to make sure, I check the mansion as well. Chao, the butler, is the only one present, but he is not like Asami – he is entirely on our side, so he lets me in to show me there is no one in the mansion at the moment but him. "They're all down in the factory, except for one of the metalbenders who's tied up in the workshop." I tell him.

"Tied up?" He asks. I shrug. "Is there anyone still on the zeppelin?"

I practically smack myself in the forehead. _How could I forget…? _"I… haven't checked yet. I was going to." I fib, then leave the mansion and sneak over to where the police zeppelin landed. A massive, intimidating craft consisting of a great blimp painted black and gold with a passenger compartment hanging underneath, they are actually rather outdated technology. The first ones were used seventy years ago by the Fire Nation at the end of the Hundred Year War, and though these are quicker and easy to maneuver, I find it weird they are still used. _Isn't a well-placed puncture in the balloon part all it takes to bring one down?_

Once I'm at the zeppelin's base, I keep myself quiet and low to the ground. _This is dangerous, Ming. The cables from those metalbenders are faster than you can flee. _I push myself flat against the wall of the craft, slowly inching my way towards the door. Putting my ear to the cold metal, I don't hear any movement inside. _No lights on inside, either. Pretty sure it's clear. _Hoping for the best, I put my helmet back on, turn on the night vision goggles, and dash into the zeppelin.

My fears were in vain. I let out a tremendous sigh of relief, as I really didn't want to fight anyone. So, with nothing left to do, I look around the airship. I really would love to fly in one someday; being so high up in the sky looking down at everything sounds incredibly wonderful. _I've heard the Air Nomads had gliders they used to fly about. I wonder how high they could go with them… _With fancies of flying fluttering through my head, I have a bit of childish fun, standing at the cockpit, taking the wheel, and pretending I'm soaring through the clouds like a bird, or even just hovering among them, which is more plausible for a craft like this, leaning over the railing and wondering what Republic City must look like from so high up, the people like ants, the skyscrapers like stacks of building blocks, and all the automobiles and movement in the streets like electricity through the nerves of a greater creature. _Is there really such a being? _I remember words I heard many years ago that to this day stick with me and make me wonder. _"The Avatar is the spirit of the world made manifest into a human being." I still don't know if I believe that. I mean… how? The Avatars over the ages have all been so different from one another. The world cannot be both kind and cruel… can it? Thoughtful and apathetic? Busy and carefree? It doesn't make any sense!_ I sigh, gazing out beyond the glass cockpit and seeing images in the darkness from long ago, of both things I miss and things I am glad I will never see again. _That can't really be him… Right? In that_

My thoughts are interrupted immediately. Behind me comes the noise of metal on metal, of aluminum boot against steel flooring. And only a second after that, a voice, startled and angry. "Who are you!?" it demands to know. I swivel around, terrified, to find Mako, Bolin, and Asami, and behind them, still outside, the Avatar, Tenzin and Bei-Fong all battered and bruised. Before I can properly process the situation in my head Mako hurls a burst of concussive fire in my direction. I don't have time to react: the fireball explodes into my chest, singing the front of my uniform and knocking me back into a painful collision with the control panel. I let out a scream of pain, but quickly try to get back on my feet.

"What's wrong!? What's going on in there?" Tenzin exclaims.

While they are busy answering, I make a desperate break for the exit. "There's an Equalist soldier in here!" Bolin exclaims. The doorway is all but blocked, but that doesn't stop me._ They're benders; if I can just escape their bending, I'll be out of here!_ Unfortunately for me, I had not counted on the one non-bender among them to be extremely proficient in hand-to-hand combat, and without an injury on her, Asami steps before me to block my path. I foolishly continue to charge forward, thinking her nothing to worry about, but she deftly counters my attack, blocking my arm and striking it with the other hand directly at a point that pinches the nerve and sends a flare of pain throughout my body for a flash, then leaves the arm numb. _Did she just chi block me!? But... she's not supposed to know how to do that! _I'm close to the exit. The other three are in the way, but they're all exhausted and injured – they can't stop me.

However, there is one who still can. Bolin reaches outside of the zeppelin with his bending, grabs a great mound of dirt and rock, and pulls it inside with tremendous force, knocking it straight into me and pushing me against the metal wall, where it encases me entirely in a prison of stone and earth.

For a moment, I can't think; the impact was so great and powerful that it knocked my brain out of alignment, and all is stars in my head. Then, I come back to the world and see nothing but darkness. I try to stand back up, but I bang my head against the hard rock. I try to outstretch my limbs, but they are all trapped in this tiny prison. My breathing quickens. _No! No, I have to get out! I can't…!_ Again I slam my body against the stone walls, but to no avail. I flail and I punch and I scream and I cry, but nothing happens. I can barely think at this point, my mind going blank with fear. I start to spasm uncontrollably, bruising my hands and feet raw, and then… then I start to bend. It is not the rock that encases me that I manipulate, nor the water of the sweat seeping out of my pores, or the heat of my enclosed prison…

It is the air. The hot, still, and dark air. I only have one arm usable, and I can barely move it at all to bend, and there's so little air around me that I'm making little progress, but again and again I slam the tiny gusts into the rock, completely unaware of what I'm doing or whether or not it's even working, my mind is so gone from sanity at this point.

I do not know how long I am trapped, but eventually Bolin dissipates the prison and I collapse to the ground, shaking, mumbling incoherent sounds throughout quick, jagged breaths. My mind is still broken; I look blankly out through my goggles but see nothing, sounds reach my ear but I do not hear; all is terror. Something, an arm or a leg I don't know, brushes against my shoulder and my body instinctively grabs hold of it and clutches it tightly for comfort. Words are said but I can't make them out. Then, hands upon my helmet that carefully remove it from my head. The cool breeze across my face is ecstatic. More words, these louder, and I can actually make out a few. "… her… how… over… later…" Someone moves me, pulls on my arms for a while. Then, I am still. I am captured.


	9. Dereliction

His name is Hiroshi Sato, and he is the founder and CEO of Future Industries, the most successful corporation on the planet. Though he did not invent the automobile, he discovered the means to manufacture it in a way that makes it more affordable for the general public, rather than just the wealthy elite. Coming from a poor background, it was a wealthy businessman whose investment in Hiroshi's idea spawned the beginning of his company, and by the time he was twenty-five he was already a millionaire. In 152 ASC he married and had a daughter. Six years later, however, his wife was murdered by the Agni Kai triad. Thus began his vendetta against benders and the reason he joined us. In a way, our reasons for joining are very similar, but at the same time very different. He is a non-bender; there is no conflict in his indignation towards bending. But I on the other hand… my situation is unfortunately not so simple.

* * *

It takes several minutes for me to return to relative calmness. It is like falling asleep, but backwards – I don't know when exactly my brain realigns with the world, but eventually it does, and eventually I come to the realization that I have been captured, and that I am immobilized. _But where…?_ I lift my head up to look around, and see a pair of faces directly in front of my own. That's the last necessary jolt to bring me back. Immediately I try to scramble to my feet, but find my arms are behind me, around a thick metal pole, tied at the wrists. The faces come into focus: Bolin's and the Avatar's. "That brought her back alright." The Avatar grins.

In vain I try and struggle against my restraints. "What…" I mumble, my head still a bit foggy. "What did you…"

"Don't bother." Comes the apathetic voice of Bei-Fong from a distance away. I squint beyond the two in front of me to discover I am in the back of the zeppelin, and not only that, but we are in the air, how high I can't tell, but I can't see anything but dark night clouds through the cockpit window. "Those are metalbender cables you're tied up with. You're not going anywhere." She is lying down on a cot, Tenzin tending to her wounds.

That doesn't stop me from continuing to try a couple more times, until I learn it truly is a hopeless effort. The zeppelin is silent for a moment, no one quite sure what to say or who should speak first. Eventually it is Bolin, opaque as ever, who asks "So… what are we gonna do with her?"

Another period of uneasy silence as the airship drifts onward. "What do you mean… 'What are we going to do with her?' " I scoff. Small tears start to well up in my eyes. "You're going to arrest me and lock me up in jail… just like every other Equalist! Right!?"

"But… you're not like every other Equalist." Says the Avatar, standing above me.

"What? And why is that?"

The Avatar and Bolin exchange looks, before she replies "Because you're an airbender, of course."

My eyes grow wide. _How did she…!? NO! How did she find that out!?_ Again, I fall back on the old, hopeless tactic of denying it. "A-An airbender? Don't… don't be ridiculous! I hate all-"

Tenzin interrupts me. "Your name."

"W-What about my name!?"

"Ku-Sim is a very old Air Nomad name, back from when we still held surnames." He says sternly. "When I first heard the name of the Equalist who infiltrated Councilman Tarrlok's gala, I could hardly believe my ears. Also, as you have shown us, you suffer from terrible claustrophobia. When there were more of us in the world, that was a very common fear among airbenders." A tear runs down my cheek. _No… This can't be happening! _"And lastly," Tenzin continues, "that was airbending you just tried to use to escape Bolin's rock prison, wasn't it?"

I gasp. "I…" The last ten minutes are a haze; I can barely remember what happened aside from the overwhelming fear and the darkness. _I can't believe I… _I grit my teeth together in frustration. _No, no, NO! This is all wrong! No one was ever supposed to know! No one! And especially not them!_

"I don't get it – why are you so ashamed?" Asks the Avatar, with a voice like we've suddenly become friends. "This is great! Another airbender!"

I thrust my head upwards in anger, looking up at her through stinging tears, then move myself up the pole to a standing position. "How dare you…" I growl. "How dare you say something like that!? There's nothing great about being a bender! Nothing!"

"So then why didn't you just have Amon take it away from you?" Mako asks, entering the conversation. I try to come up with an answer, but my voice runs dry. "If you hate your bending so much, then he's your perfect antidote, isn't he? That's why you joined the Equalists, isn't it?"

"Mako, enough." Tenzin says in a commanding voice. "She's visibly shaken; leave her be for now. All that matters is that she's safe with us. If she **had** let her bending be taken away… well I don't even want to think of what a waste that would've been."

"W-What do you mean, 'keep her safe'?" I stammer.

"We're taking you to Air Temple Island." He answers.

"What!? Why?"

"To keep Amon from getting his hands on you, that's why! I won't risk an airbender losing her bending to that madman."

"So it's solely because I'm an airbender? That's the only reason!?"

"That's right! Counting you, there are now only five of us in the entire world! The protection and preservation of our people takes a level of precedence!"

My face contorts into shock and disgust at his words. "I can't believe what I'm hearing… That you're not only taking pity on me because I'm a bender, but you're offering me special protection at that! This is exactly why the Equalists were formed – because if I was a non-bender you would've simply sent me to the authorities and be done with me!"

I don't know if I wish my words had convinced him to change his mind. Which is worse, to accept his unfair mercy, or to be thrown in jail? I can't decide. It's not like I have a choice, though – I'm their prisoner, for them to do with as they please, and at the moment that is to keep me locked up on Air Temple Island, protecting me from the man I wish to serve.

* * *

As soon as the zeppelin lands, all precautions are taken, both for my protection and for protection from me, as they transfer me from the zeppelin to a holding cell in the attic of one of the island's many structures, the original temple built by the previous Avatar when he settled the island and founded the Air Acolytes many decades ago. I don't bother struggling; there's only so much I could accomplish without use of my arms, and escaping this island is not in the list. Not to mention a number of men and women from the White Lotus, the faction that has guarded the Avatar since time immemorial, are stationed here. They lock me up without a word, only silent stares. Even in the cell they keep my hands tied tight. Though they do not know the extent of my bending ability, they take no chances.

That first night is cold. Though it is far from the chilliest of days this winter has seen thus far, this attic has no insulation, and the metal bars of the cell they've got me tied up against do a good job of keeping me chilled. _If I have to be a bender, I'd rather have been given fire right about now… at least that one would be a bit useful._ I receive little sleep as a result, and the next morning, when one of the Air Acolytes brings me a meal of boiled vegetables, he also must've heard my thoughts, as he brings something. "It's not much – just an old bed sheet, but it's thick. It should help keep you warm." Surprised by his unsolicited kindness, I can barely find the breath in me to thank him. The blanket is indeed very warm. Terribly hungry, I try to wiggle my feet out of their boots to use them to eat, but it's no good – they're stuck.

"Oh! Please, you don't need to do that! Here, let me." He jabs a tuft of broccoli with the fork and tries to bring it to my face, but I, like a stubborn toddler, close my mouth tight and turn it away from the food, refusing to give in, even though I am rather famished. "Please, just eat it. I'm not about to let you starve here. Airbenders never let a guest go hungry, after all."

"Tch. **I've **never heard that one before." I scoff, but quickly give up, opening my mouth. Hunger really is the best spice; this simple piece of boiled broccoli tastes delicious, and in little time the whole plate is clean.

A couple hours later, Tenzin arrives, along with the Avatar and an ultimatum. "The situation is simple." He explains. "Korra needs airbending training, and you are an airbender. Help teach her or remain locked in here."

Again, I can't believe what I am hearing. "**Teach** her? What… what on earth makes you think I would teach **anyone** how to bend!?"

"I told you she wasn't going to go for it…" The Avatar mumbles.

Tenzin rubs his forehead in frustration. "Well, then I suggest you get well acquainted with this room, because you're not leaving otherwise." He says, turning around to leave. As he walks down the steps, the Avatar shoots me a glance, as though she is about to ask me something, but Tenzin's angry voice stops her. "Korra, come along! It's obvious we're wasting our time here."

"Isn't that what I said earlier…?" She mumbles again.

Later that day I can hear outside the sounds of Mako, Bolin, and Asami moving onto the island. _Why can't they keep staying at the estate? Wouldn't the police have taken it over by now? Wait… if they did though…I hope that doesn't mean they also were able to find our headquarters. …No. No, Amon would've had the railway sealed if something like that happened._

When it comes to be sunset another plate of vegetables finds its way before my feet. However this time its bearer isn't an Air Acolyte, but Mako, looking more than displeased at the task he's been given. "Eat up." He says curtly.

I grumble, blowing my bangs out of my face. "And how do you suppose I do that? My hands are kind of tied up here." I quip.

"You ate breakfast this morning, didn't you?"

"One of the Air Acolytes fed me."

He growls. "Well, tough luck, because I'm not doing that. Use your airbending."

_Fine!_ With a kick lifting myself off the ground for a moment I bend a gust of air upwards, tossing the plate's contents all over him. Fed up, he shouts "That's IT!" and lights a flame in his hand. I'm genuinely afraid he'll attack me for a moment, but just as quick as the spark of anger arises in him it begins to fade. He douses the flame, and sparing not another word, he violently stomps down the stairs, wiping corn mush off his jacket.

It felt good at the moment, but I'm regretting wasting that food now. Not long after he leaves, I try airbending some of the larger, more solid pieces back towards me, pulling them in with little currents from my foot. I get a few, but it takes quite a bit of wiping off before I deem them okay to eat. They're still dusty, but I don't care. I've got a healthy enough immune system.

Using my bending again, however – it's an uncomfortable feeling, not because I told myself I would never use it again, but because of how easily it came back to me, even though before yesterday on the zeppelin I hadn't bent a single pocket of air for over a year. _Mako was right. I __**should've**__ just had Amon take it away. What have I been thinking – that I could just bottle it up forever? That I could run away from it and forget it's there? No… I can never run away from what I've done… It'll always be there, remembered._

The blanket helps me get a little more sleep this night, but what I receive is still broken into fragments, and I ache tremendously after waking up the next day. When the same Air Acolyte comes in later in the morning to bring up some food, he looks incredibly flustered. I'm too hungry to care, though. Since yesterday morning I've gotten my boots off, so I tell him I can eat it just fine with my feet. 'Just fine' is stretching it a little, but I won't have the embarrassing episode from yesterday become a regular occurrence. Later, after I've digested the small meal, I do start to wonder about what had him so worried. _Something the Equalists did, probably. I wonder if he was worried they might come for me. That'd be wonderful, but I have a hard time believing they would. They didn't do anything when the triad kidnapped me. I guess Amon's willing to let a bender into his army but if she gets in trouble she's on her own… _A nice thought comes to mind. _Maybe Taak'll finally 'repay' that silly debt of his and come save me. Ahh… wouldn't that be nice? My knight in shining mecha-tank armor. My lifeline._

The thoughts and the daydreams keep my mind pleasant as the hours of the day pass in silence. At one point I try singing some songs from my childhood. I've always loved to sing but have never gotten past my fright of doing it in front of other people. The very few that have heard me have all said I was a good singer, but I've never known if they really meant it or if they were merely being kind. Here, however, there's no one listening. At least, no one I can tell is listening, which is good enough for me. At one point in my singing does one, particular song come to me. One I thought I'd forgotten, but still every lyric and every note returns to me as bright in my mind as the sun. A lullaby, it moves at a gradual pace, like the slow closing of eyelids before a restful sleep.

_Where is the light in the darkness?  
Where is the sun in my sky?  
Where went the voices that said to me softly  
"Never fear. We are here. You are home now."?  
When all of the world is asunder,  
And all that we love has been torn,  
Where will be the voices that say to us gently  
"Never fear. We are here. You are home now."?  
Don't be afraid  
Of the shade that engulfs us.  
Soon, shining bright,  
Will the light come to save us!  
Let not your faith be taken.  
Think not that our lives are forsaken.  
Hope stands always at your side…_

I can't help myself. Only a few lines in and my eyes are flooded with tears. The memories were too much, so vivid and poignant, but my voice wouldn't stop; the song demanded it be completed.

"That was very beautiful." Comes a voice from the bottom of the stairwell. I gasp, turning a flush red in embarrassment. Immediately I try and wipe away the tears on my shoulders as Chief Bei-Fong enters the attic prison. Behind her is Councilman Tenzin, and waiting on the stairwell, their heads just poking over the floorboards are Mako, Bolin, and Asami. "Where did you learn that song?" Bei-Fong asks.

Still wiping my eyes, I hesitate to answer. "My…my mother." I sniffle. "She used to sing it to me before she… before she was killed."

"I'm sorry to hear that." She responds.

"Was she…?" Asami begins, but stops mid-sentence.

I know what she was going to say. "Yes." I say solemnly. "She was killed by a bender… just like your mother, and just like Mako's, and Amon's, and… and just like so many others…" I feel the tears beginning in my chest once again, but I try to hold them in this time. "But what does it matter…?" I look up at Bei-Fong in her metalbender armor. Her arm looks like it's still injured. "If **you're** here then it just means you all have given up on me and I'm going to be arrested, right?"

"Wrong." Bei-Fong answers. "I stopped being Chief of Police the night you were apprehended. We are here to ask for your help."

I turn my head and scoff. "I… I told you, I'm not teaching anyone-"

"It's not that." Tenzin interrupts, displeased with the whole situation. "Republic City is beset by villains on both sides. Amon threatens war upon the city while Tarrlok fuels the fire by unjustly punishing non-benders and anyone who gets in his way."

"Yeah, we just spent the night in jail too!" Bolin exclaims, trying to lighten the mood as he always does, but Mako grabs him by the ear to shut him up and pulls him downstairs, Asami following them.

"Tenzin, could you go with them for a moment? I wish to speak with her alone." He is dubious at the request, but obliges, leaving the ex-Chief and I alone in this cold room. "Please. Korra has been captured by Amon, and there's no telling what he'll do to her."

I make a gesture halfway between a grumble and sigh. "Have you forgotten who you're speaking to?"

"He may **kill** her, Ming." She says my name like it is a foreign word. "I know. I understand our opinions differ. But this is no longer about ideologies; this is two sides throwing stones at each other, caring little for who is caught in between them. I left the police force not only because I had failed to protect those I swore I would keep safe, but because in my heart I felt something was terribly wrong with the establishment I served." She pauses for a moment. "Don't you feel the same way sometimes? Don't you feel that after the fear tactics and the senseless violence and the wanton destruction that something was lost along the way?" She extends a hand. "Please. All we want is the location where the Equalists keep their prisoners. Right now all we care about is keeping safe those whom we care for, and we need your help to do so." With her other hand, she metalbends the chains that have held me prisoner to loosen and come off. Slowly and in silence I come to a stand, remembering the muscles in my arms and legs I haven't been using lately. I rub my wrists for a moment, then take a deep breath.

_She shouldn't have done that. _Swiftly and without any warning, I thrust my palms in front of me, blasting her in the chest without a powerful gust of air. She flies into the weak wall behind her and her armored body shatters it easily, leaving a great, splintered hole in its place. Before the others can come up to investigate, I spin my arms to create a spiral of air that launches me forward, through the hole and outside into the cold winter air. However, the others weren't inside like I thought they'd be; Mako, Bolin, and Asami were all waiting outside, now shocked by Bei-Fong's unexpected arrival through the temple wall. Violently she crashes into the ground, shattering the tile flooring. I land on the first-floor roof, then take a quick second to scan the area, looking for my means to flee. Republic City is off to my right, but that edge of the island is a cliff. The only gentle way off Air Temple Island is to my left, from the docks.

But the others aren't going to let this be a gentle escape. Mako hurls a ball of fire my way that I just narrowly avoid, spinning, then running low down to the rooftop's edge, where I leap off. Mako fires another up my way, but I circle my arms wide in front of me to create a shield of rapidly spinning air that tosses the fire and its remnants all about until they die out. Before I land, Bolin bends a blunt spear of rock out from underneath from the tile to rise up and strike me, but I shoot a blast to my side, propelling me away from the attack and onto the ground, catching my fall with a hand, then landing gracefully on both my feet, ready to continue the fight.

But Tenzin bursts out from the temple, screaming indignant fury. "What on earth is happening out here!? You all are tearing up the-" Noticing me free, he quickly puts two and two together, but it is just a moment too late. I bend a gust of air to launch him away, and while he is able to counter some of it with his own airbending, the force still knocks him back a great deal, straight him into a wooden support beam.

_One down…_ My opponents and I are staring each other down, hands at the ready to bend, waiting for the battle to resume. Bei-Fong is recovering, slowly trying to get back on her feet. Then, I notice it – one of Bolin's fingers beginning to move. _He's trying to trap me again! _In one movement, I jump into the air and propel myself upwards several feet with another spiral funnel of air, just as the rocks beneath me try to ensnare my feet. This time however I do not let it dissipate, but heave it over me in mid-air, bringing it down upon my attackers. Bolin summons up a wall of stone just in time to defend against the attack. The air bounces off but I keep control of it as I land. As soon as the wall is dropped, Mako is on the attack with a barrage of fire again, and Bei-Fong fires off her cables, attempting to nab my limbs. I move the funnel of air like a snake in front of me, deflecting their attacks while moving to left, hoping to encircle them. Asami however is not willing to let me pass. She has one of the Equalist electrified gloves on her hand, and is ready to deliver the finishing blow.

I turn to a desperate move. With a spinning motion of my body, I throw the funnel directly at my attackers. They stand strong against the violent pressure, but it is taking all their strength to not be blown away. Not letting up for a moment, I keep the air constantly upon them, then, once the funnel is stable in its position, I stretch both arms in front of me, hands open and facing inwards, and I pull at the air on either side of the funnel. The sound comes first to them like a faint whistle in the turbulent wind, but when I align it just right, getting the vibrations just perfect, it transforms into a horrid banshee scream. Behind the blast of sound, I can only hear the shrieking echoes across the island, but to them it is deafening. They all clutch the side of their heads, crying out in pain.

_This is your chance. GO!_ I disperse the funnel of air, and while they are stunned, make a mad dash away from here. "Don't let her get away!" Bei-Fong exclaims, cringing.

"What!?" Bolin exclaims. _Good. Their eardrums are burst._ They continue trying to communicate as they slowly get up and give chase, but I'm already too far away to catch up with. Some of the Air Acolytes try to stop me, but I easily dodge past them or knock them out of the way with a simple puff of air. By the time I reach the dock, I've got a decent number chasing after me. Leaping off the pier, I land atop the water, catching myself with air under my feet, then push myself forward, and do the same with the other foot, gliding over the calm water like a skater. A bewildered crowd is left at the dock watching me skim over the surface, but I don't bother looking back to see their stunned faces. _I have to get out of here as quick as possible to lose their trail. _I bend the air to slowly turn me around, gliding around the edge of the island, until Republic City is at my front and center, and I speed onwards, a bullet over the water, returning to its home.


	10. Decision

His name is Bolin, and though he is not an amazing bender, in all honesty he has been my greatest adversary. The elements of earth and air are in opposition to one another, just as are fire and water. Where airbending thrives in wide, open spaces, when it is free to move and to change, earthbending puts a stop to that. It is solid, it is stalwart, and it is permanent. Strangely enough however, Bolin does not exemplify those traits. He acts like the airbender stereotype: aloof, playful, and always ready to insert his sense of humor wherever he can. Growing up in the modernity of Republic City seems to have that effect on people, changing them, bringing them out of touch with their patron element. Bolin, Tenzin, Tarrlok – I can think of many good examples, though I can't help but wonder if, in my time here, I too have been affected in similar ways.

* * *

By the time I reach the concrete docks of Republic City, I am entirely exhausted. All that bending took every last ounce of energy in me. I lie down for several minutes, catching my breath, sucking in painful gasps of cold air. The adrenaline of the fight has long since faded and all the pain has returned – my arms and legs sore from being so used after inactive for two days, my wrists rubbed raw from the chains, and now my throat and lungs aching horribly from the cold. I know I shouldn't stay here much longer – that soon, if not already, people will be out looking for me, but I'm too tired. I crawl towards the nearest building I find, nothing more than an old shed aside the dock I washed up on. Inside and the door closed, it is almost instantly that I fall away to a troubled sleep.

Fortunately for me, when I awake it is not in a prison cell, but exactly where I left myself. I slept long into the hours of daylight, past noon, and my limbs are stiff, but refreshed after being overexerted yesterday. That's nothing compared to my stomach, however. I check the secret pocket on the inside of the tattered Equalist uniform I've been wearing for days now and find to my joy my cache of yuans is still in there. _Good. I need something to eat, fast._

Walking around, it doesn't take long for me to figure out where exactly I am along Republic City's many docks. Once I do, I start to make a beeline for a guy I know won't give me trouble for coming to his store in an Equalist uniform. I've only been there a couple times before, so I'm surprised to find he remembers me. "Is that Miss Ming?" He says upon seeing my tired frame walk through his door. "Oh… you don't look so good; are you alright?"

"I'm starving." I reply.

"Well, let's fix that, shall we?"

After a small meal (all I can afford) I leave, my belly content and my wallet emptied. I'm worried now, though. _I've been away from headquarters too long. I should've gone back immediately. I hope Bei-Fong and the others weren't able to find it._ I gulp. _I hope it's still all there…_ Not too far from my current location is one of the quickest routes to headquarters, one that bypasses the sewers entirely. I hate it on account of the narrow, dark corridors I have to pass through on the way, but getting back as quick as possible is all that's on my mind now – returning to the closest thing I have in this world to a home, and to the one person I love more than any other.

When I reach the shack on dock 61 with the hidden entrance in it, the whole place is deserted. I only give it a few thoughts before heading to the backroom where the secret doorway lies. A long, dimly lit hallway stretches on, far into the earth, a frightening, asphyxiating corridor. I move through as quickly as I can without breaking out into a full run.

Upon nearing the end of the long hallway, I hear sound in the distance, echoing faintly. One strong, commanding voice, and then a cheer of many others. _That's… that's Amon! I'm here! I'm finally back!_ The door is locked. I bang a tired fist on it three times, and all the noise on the opposite side hushes, followed quickly by the sounds of weapons being readied. "It's me…!" I shout, nearly hoarse. "Ming!" That gets the door to open. Inside I am met with dozens of equipped soldiers ready to attack, but when they see my face, when they see it truly is me, their expressions soften, and their weapons are slightly lowered. I carefully step forward. No one stops me. Instead, they part ways to reveal our leader, standing on a pedestal, having been interrupted in the middle of a speech by my arrival.

"Ming Ku-Sim." Amon says, a sinister tone in his voice. "How… surprising that you should join us here. We thought for certain after the raid on Sato's factory that you were gone, another prisoner of the system."

"I… I was." I say, fearful. Something in the air doesn't feel right, but I continue walking towards the masked man. "But I escaped. I fled, and… and I swear I haven't been followed."

Amon takes a moment to speak. "You are… rather good at escaping, aren't you?"

A faint smile forms on my face. I glance around at all the soldiers, but see not the one I am looking for, nor do I hear his voice. "Where… Is Taak here?" I ask. It's all I want to know.

"Sergeant Taak is not here." Amon replies plainly.

"…Sergeant?" I repeat. "He was… promoted?"

"That's right. He was promoted to replace you."

I gasp, my jaw dropped. "Replace? But… but sir, why? Oh, you mean because you thought I was-"

Amon interrupts abruptly. "No. Not because of that. Yesterday over the radio there came some rather startling news. Aside from the 'grand revealing of Hiroshi Sato's involvement with the Equalists', it was mentioned that a high-ranking Equalist was captured…" He pauses for a moment, "…and that she was, in fact, a bender." I freeze, horrified. _No! No, of course! Of course they would make that public! Why didn't I…? _Amon continues. "And not only that, but an airbender."

I start to cry, unable to help myself. "I'm sorry…" is all I can squeak out through the tears as I fall to my knees. Amon steps off his pedestal and slowly begins to approach me. "Please… please forgive me…" All the faces around me, all the people I considered comrades, they are all of disdain now. "I… I didn't mean to… I just wanted to help…"

"I know you did." Says Amon. "I do not question your resolve. You are a rare breed of bender, the kind who resents their own ability." He is only a few steps away from me now. "However… you are still a bender. And so I have no choice but to remove that impurity from you." He stops just before me, eclipsing me in his dark shadow. "Out of respect for all the help you have given us, I will not restrain you." He reaches out his arm to me.

_This is it… It's all over now, Ming. This is the moment you dreaded would come to pass… and yet you wished it would so badly. This is a good thing… isn't it? He's right – you do have an impurity in you, a horrible curse. Why shouldn't you let him erase it from you? _His hand is closer now, above my head. In my ear he whispers "I'm sorry, Ming. I wanted you to be the very last." _Heh… me… the last airbender. How ironic. …No, I couldn't have that. I couldn't live with that. Right now, though… Yes… This is the right thing. Yes, it's frightening, but it's the right thing. Just let it end. Let it all end… all the pain and the suffering… _His thumb is on my forehead. _Be free._

I open my eyes, and from far inside me, from a place locked away deep and hidden within my very soul, comes a thought.

_Not yet._

The room explodes with air. Amon is flown upwards like a boulder into the ceiling. All the Equalist soldiers near me are tossed backwards as well, into their comrades who all fall to the ground from the force. My body moves on its own, sparing no thoughts to anything but moving, running, flying, getting out of here any way imaginable. I utilize the same technique I used to glide over the water to flee out of the hall as quickly as I can. Shots are fired and bolas are thrown, but none hit. Equalist soldiers step between me and my exit, but I evade them and move on. On and on through the tunnels and sewers I flee, until I'm near an exit. At this point I'm fairly certain I've lost them, or at least put enough distance between us that they won't catch up. But at the very end of the great pipe, between me and my escape, is none other than Taak, standing tall with an electrified glove in his hand, pointing directly at me.

Immediately I come to a halt before him. The remnants of my bending toss his dangling long hair about for a moment, but he remains as still as death. The crackling electricity of his hand is right before my chest. The air becomes deathly still, waiting… Neither of us can say anything. We can only gaze into the other's eyes and read the conflicted emotions. His are a myriad: sorrow, anger, confusion, repulsion. I can only imagine what mine must be. Just as I try to open my mouth to say a word, he moves, lowering his glove and slowly moving out of the way.

"We're even." He says with a dark, disgusted voice. "Now get out."

"Taak…?" I gasp.

"GO." He yells, cringing his teeth to halt the tears. "And don't ever come back."

My eyes flood. I want to speak. I want to explain. I want to cry, and I want him to hold me as he always has. But in me the truth is obvious, painful and vivid.

So I run. Snow batters my face as I flee out of the sewers and into the city, stinging my eyes and throat. Frigid tears pour freely, until eventually they run dry, and my cheeks are raw, left for the cold to bite and scratch at. I don't know where I'm going, or where I am. All I know is there's nowhere left here for me. _Nothing… There's nothing…_

I instinctively take myself somewhere for warmth, a shabby little café, but it only helps my body. My mind, my emotions, they're all gone. The café manager gives me and my torn up Equalist uniform fearful looks, but doesn't say anything. I wouldn't respond anyway. I don't even order anything. The only person I want to speak to is lost to me. He turned me away. _Or… did I turn him away myself? This… this is all my fault, isn't it?_

Yes. That I can agree on. I stand up, immediately leaving the café and stepping back out onto the snow-covered corner sidewalk._ You lost, Ming. Your game plan was wrong, and now you have to pay the price for it. _I know what I have to do now, and just where I have to go.

With morbid determination, I head to the Silk Road Bridge. It doesn't take long. Or maybe it does, but I've lost my sense of time; I don't know. When I reach it, night has come, and the headlights of passing cars cast from me a grim shadow on the pavement. Some honk, some slow down for a moment – I don't care. I just keep trudging on along the pedestrian sidewalk until I am halfway across, the highest point in the arc.

I leave the sidewalk, climbing over the frigid salmon-pink railway. On the other side is a narrow walkway for bridge engineers to use in repair work. As soon as I take one step upon it, the wind picks up, howling and screaming at me. I can barely feel my hands and feet anymore. For a moment I just stand there, still clutching the railing tightly. Then, hesitantly, I lean my head forward and look down. My heart skips a beat as the wind rushes upwards to slash at my face. I immediately shrink back to the railing, my eyes forced shut for a time from the cold. When I can reopen them, I keep them squinted, and once again peer over the edge. It's terrifying, horribly terrifying, the lashing, angry waters far, far below me, but I do not shrink from the sight. Carefully, testing each movement, I turn myself around so that the railing is at my back, my hands still keeping a strong, cold grasp on it. I look out in front of me, onto Republic City whole. It's a beautiful sight with the sun fallen down and all the twinkling lights in a chaotic array. _Certainly could do worse for last sights…_ I think of all the people nestled in that city, of how different they all are in their ideals and their aspirations, yet how whole they all seem when viewed from here. _But they're not. We're not all one. And we never will be unless Amon wins… will we? _I find, as I let go of the railing behind me, a tear-soaked smile on my face. _I'll make his job easier then. It's the least I can do. One less bender in his way…_

"Stop!" Comes a voice, followed by a gust of air that pushes me back onto my feet, and my back against the cold railing.

It takes me a moment to realize what just happened. I didn't fall to my death as I had finally given myself up to do, nor did my instincts kick in and airbend me back to relative safety – someone stopped me. I look for the owner of the voice, and find, up on the pedestrian sidewalk a little ways to my right, Tenzin, cold and exhausted. He is alone. "Ming, what are you doing!?" He shouts.

"Don't try to stop me!" I yell.

"Please… Ming… don't do this." He is terrified, petrified even at the thought that I would jump, at the thought that I already tried.

"Shut up!" I growl as the wind picks up and tears my Equalist scarf from my neck, blowing out into the bay, lost forever. "Why should **you** care!? You shouldn't! None of you care about me! Just leave me be!"

"That's not true," He says, taking a heavy breath of the cold, "and you know it's not!"

"It is!" I bury my chin in my neck. "No one cares about me, they… they only care that I'm an airbender. That's all I am to anyone…" I look up at him again, "you of all people! Well I'm through with that! I'm through with everything!"

I let go of the railing with one hand, and immediately Tenzin cries out "No! Please!" Calming his voice, he says again "Please, Ming…" Very slowly, he begins to climb over the railing. "I'm going to come out there with you, so please… don't do this…" My mind is torn. Half wants me to let go. He's crossed the line, he's come too close, and this should be the repercussion. But the other half is intrigued by what excuse he could possibly come up with, and beckons me to stay and listen.

He is on the engineer's walkway now, no more than eight feet away from me. "You're only doing this because 'it would be so terrible if we lost another airbender'." I growl. "That's the only reason you want me alive!"

He takes a couple seconds to think through his response. "I will not deny that of course it would be a great loss to the world if our numbers were dwindled even by a little, but do you really think that that would not be also the case with any person, bender or even non-bender? If it were my wife standing where you are-"

"She's your wife!" I shriek. "Of course you would save her!

"Any non-bender then!" He takes a step closer. "The Air Acolytes, my brother Bumi, even Amon or Hiroshi, someone I despise! Do you honestly believe I wouldn't try to save their lives too, had I the chance?" Another step. "Ming, it has nothing to do with whether you are an airbender or a non-bender or whatever you may be – every life is precious." Another step. "That's all. That the only reason. That was one of the first things my father taught me when I was a boy. When he bested Fire Lord Ozai he had the chance to kill him to end the war, to save millions of lives by sacrificing the Fire Lord's, but he did not. He let him live. That every life is a sacred thing was his guiding principle all throughout his life, and it has become mine too. So please… come with me. Come with us, and let's save even more lives."

It's a strange way your mind works when you're on the precipice between life and death. When all it takes is the tiniest of nervous flicks in a muscle to send you over, that's when you become the simplest creature imaginable. There's no complex thought process that goes into deciding which way you turn, no weighing of pros and cons and possibilities and futures. Instead, it all boils down to one very simple binary choice: yes or no?

I choose yes.

My heart bursts open, frozen tears crystallizing down my cheek as I pull myself back onto the walkway, throwing myself into his arms and sobbing in his chest. He lets me cry my heart out into the dirtied folds of his Air Nomad tunic, and with a hand leads me back over the railing, back to safety, back to life.


	11. Transition

His name is Taak, and he was my lover. With Avatar Aang's health fading as the date of Taak's birth approached, he was one of the few many watched with anticipation to be the new Avatar. However, he was not. He was not even a waterbender like his mother and father – he was a non-bender, and that fact tormented him all his years growing up in the Northern Capital. When he was fiteen, he had finally had enough, so he simply packed his belongings and left. Two years later he reached Republic City, and four months after that, he met me. We both loved each other, and Taak thought we were the perfect match, but I knew otherwise. I knew there would eventually come the day when we would break apart, though I tried my best to ignore it. Is it simply a doomed endeavor, trying to bring benders and non-benders together? Can any relationship truly be healthy when the scales of power are tipped so?

* * *

I fall asleep quickly, before Tenzin and I even reach the end of the bridge. I suppose he carried me the rest of the way to Air Temple Island, because when I wake up the next morning, that is where I am. A small jostling at my feet rouses me out of the featureless dreams I was having. Slowly, not violently at all but quietly, like a tiny droplet of water into a pool, I come back into the realm of the conscious. I roll partly over to one side, then back onto my back, and let out a small waking-up groan. Small giggling immediately follows. My mind, though still incredibly hazy from sleep, is present enough to find that an oddity, so slowly my eyes open, and as the blurred lights realign themselves, I see by my feet two impish little faces, peeking over the edge of the bed at me, their owners Tenzin's youngest two children. Mischievous grins sprout on both their faces as soon as they see I am awake. "I told yoooouuuu!" The older one jeers. "I said you were an airbender and I was right!" It takes me a few seconds to remember back to the scene with them in Tarrlok's gala, and that time is more than enough for me to move my stiff body to a sitting position, pushing the blanket off me a bit as I do. My mind then assesses the situation, and in that, it remembers why I am where I am. I instantly awake, scooting myself backwards to the back of the bed.

"Ikki, Meelo – come on. Give her some space." Comes a voice. I swivel my head to see the Avatar sitting along the side of another bed here. "She's had a rough night."

The little girl puffs her cheeks out. "Well so did you so you get some rest too!" She huffs. "Come on, Meelo, let's go!" She marches out of the room, her little brother quickly following, no doubt the both of them off to get into more trouble.

With them gone, the Avatar and I are now alone in this cozy guest room. The atmosphere, however, is not cozy in the slightest bit. We're close – too close, at least for my comfort. My nerves are still as ablaze with fright as they were the last time I was forced to be in her presence. It certainly doesn't help that I'm sick. The cold I endured the previous night has left me in an unpleasant state; my throat is sore with cough, my breathing has become raspy, and my nose is clogged shut, leaving me with a vicious headache. "I mean… I assume you did." She breaks the silence with.

"I… what?" I squeak out.

"That you…" She begins, but cuts herself short. "Never mind." Her face hints that she isn't too happy with the situation we're in either. She hops out of bed, cringing just a bit as her right leg hits the ground, having forgotten her injuries until now. Shaking the pain out, she says sternly "C'mon, let's get something to eat." I should, but I don't want to move. This place, this entire island is still nothing other than a prison to me, entirely foreign and intimidating. Here hugging my knees, I'm safe from whatever's out there. That's what my fears tell me, that out there is nothing but danger. But that's not entirely true. The stomach knows otherwise: out there is food, and I am desperately hungry right now. "They don't want you out of sight, so… you're coming with me whether you like it or not." She says, as if reading my last few thoughts. So out from the safety of my bed I step. My Equalist uniform, the jacket, trousers, and boots – it's all gone to who knows where. Only the tank-top and flannel pants I wore underneath them remain now, both thin and drafty in this winter air. My knees rattle, both from fright and from the cold.

"Could…" I begin.

She immediately turns around and her gaze keeps my voice caught in my throat. "…Hm? Could you what?" She says.

"C-could I have my old uniform?" I ask. She raises an eyebrow at the request. "It's… erm… well, it's… really cold." I stutter.

"Really? Doesn't seem so cold to me." _Well duh. _She thinks on it for a second. "They probably trashed your uniform, but come with me. I've got an idea." I haven't the foggiest what this 'idea' is, but it doesn't sound good. She snakes through the women's dormitory with brisk speed, and I struggle to keep up, still sick and weak. Soon she bursts out the front door to the outside, and while the open sky is pleasant, the cold is not. I shiver even more now, tucking my face away from the incoming breeze. The thought of killing the air flow to stem the cold a bit comes to mind, but I shove it away. _No. No more airbending. You've done enough already._ The Avatar notices my discomfort though. "Is it seriously that cold for you?" She asks, with a tone that almost suggests annoyance.

I on the other hand am most certainly annoyed by it. "I'm from Ba Sing Se, not the South Pole, okay!?" I snap.

"Alright, alright!" She sighs. "Here." Taking the fur sash off from around her waist, she takes a step towards me. I flinch, and she notices the movement. "I'm not gonna bite, just c'mere for a sec." Not giving me much of a chance to react otherwise, she comes close enough to drape the fur over my shoulders. I want to protest, but the instant relief it provides is too nice. "That'll do until we get to where we're going."

I grumble out a sigh. "And… where is that?"

"Storeroom." She replies. _Do I even want to know what she's got in mind…? _ We hike only a brief distance, up a small staircase and past the men's dormitory, to the largest building outside of the temple itself. We do not enter via the front entrance, but instead around to the back door, where inside is the storeroom Korra mentioned. "Ba Sing Se, huh?" She says as we enter, trying to make small talk for a moment. "You don't have the accent."

"Yes, I do." I reply. "I just hide it."

"Hide it? Why?"

"It got me too much attention, so I started talking like I'm from here." I pause for a second. "Why don't **you** do the same?"

"I dunno… I guess I like being the mysterious foreigner-type." She laughs. "So go on, lemme hear your normal accent. You know I won't care."

I'm making it very obvious I don't want to talk about it, but she isn't catching on to that. "You already did, remember?" I answer. "At the gala." She remembers; she just wants to hear it again. I sigh. "Fine." I say, reverting back. "I guess it is a bit easier on the vocal chords."

A great smile grows on her face. "Anyway, they should be in here somewhere…" She says, remembering why we came here and immediately starting to dig around, looking for something. The place is a mess though, and what's not thrown about in disarray is all sealed up in large wooden crates, out of sight. By the salty smell of preservation however, and by the fact that it's not a degree warmer than outside in here, I'm guessing it's mostly foodstuffs. "There they are!" She exclaims proudly. "Come over here for a second." Fearfully, I tiptoe through the mess, taking care not to step anything. That it's so cramped in here doesn't help my nervousness any at all. When I reach the box she's opened up and take a look inside, I'm surprised at what I find.

"But these are…" I start to say, but trail off.

"But these are what? Just because they're Air Nomad clothes doesn't mean you have to do airbending if you wear them." Her face shifts a level towards downtrodden. "**I** sure as hell haven't, and I still wore 'em…"

Hesitantly I give in, not with words of resignation to satisfy her, but with only a quiet sigh hiding underneath my breath. I leaf through the container, looking for the right set of clothes. They come in a few variations, some have yellow robes with red sashes and some the other way around. The Avatar tells me those two styles are for the Air Acolytes. "Can' I just be one of them?" I complain.

"No way! You're an airbender – you're getting the airbender clothes." She says it with a rascal's demeanor that irks me.

I continue looking at her behest, though I can't see why. "I doubt there'll be extras… I mean it's not like there are spare airbenders running around needing clothing." Just as I say that however, I find a small stack of folded tunics, exactly what I just said I probably wouldn't find. And not only that, but just about my size as well. At the look on my face the Avatar sprouts a great grin. "You… knew these were here, didn' you?" I groan.

"They're for the kids, once they get a few years older." She explains.

I silently curse my size once again. "Tenzin's?"

"Duh. Who else's? Go on, try 'em on."

I hold the clothing up in front of me, looking it over for a moment. My mind cringes. "Do I…?"

"Yes, you have to!" The Avatar finishes, knowing exactly what I was going to ask. "I'm not letting you outta here until you do. So just hurry up and put it on."

I've given up arguing with her with at this point, but there's still one thing. I crane my head around, but avert my eyes away from hers. "You're… looking." I murmur.

She groans loudly. "Seriously…? Ugh, fine." She turns around. "You're such a kid, I swear. I can't believe we're the same age."

"And **I** can' believe you just turned your back to me." I say. Immediately she swivels back around, startled, ready to defend herself. I am still, however; there's nothing she needs defend herself from.

Annoyed by my antics, she lets out another large groan. "Sheesh, don't scare me like that." A pause, filled with tension. "I mean... you **are** on our side now, right?"

That I can't answer. Whether I am or am not, even I've even a side left to call mine anymore – I don't know. I think some part of her understands the turmoil within me at this time, and obliging my silent request, turns back around. I look at the clothes once more. _I can say I'm not on their side, but… this is a choice I'm making here, isn't it? By putting on these clothes, I'm coming one step closer to them._ A single, lonesome tear falls down my cheek. _I'm so sorry, Taak… Please forgive me._ I put them on quickly, the action itself painful. Ashamedly, my first reaction is not disgust, but instant relief. The warmth, while relative, is still wonderful. But looking down upon the orange and yellow garb upon my frame, it feels totally alien to me, as though the eyes I look through are not my own, but a stranger, some girl foreign.

"Here." I say quietly, handing the Avatar's fur sash back to her. She turns around to take it, but can't help, upon seeing me in proper Air Nomad attire, can't help but break into another wide smile.

"Hey hey!" She exclaims. "Not half bad! It suits you well!"

I scoff loudly. "Don' tell me that."

She realizes her poor choice of words and, erasing her jubilant attitude, mumbles "Right. Sorry." An unpleasant pause is shared between us. "So…" She begins, "I guess we should go see Tenzin."

"W-What!?" I stutter, a sudden, unexplained fear having crept into me at the sound of his name. "Why?"

"Well… that's kind of what you do when you're staying at someone's place." She makes for the door leading further inside, beckoning me to follow. "Besides, he'll probably want to know you're doing alright." That brings in a number of memories from the previous night I had nearly set aside. _That's right… He saved me. He saved my life. I guess… I guess I owe him now… big time._

Even though I want to get back into an open space, I'm even more fearful of walking out with these clothes on. Eventually, having fed up with waiting for me, Korra grabs the loose folds of my tunic and drags me out of the storeroom and into the hallway, which thankfully is empty of anyone but us. That solitude doesn't last long, however. Only two corners and another door leads us to the dining hall proper, where Tenzin's family entire is eating a small lunch. At a couple other tables up against the walls are a number of Air Acolytes, also enjoying their midday meal. My entrance disrupts all of that of course. The acolytes all hold varying looks, from surprise to wonder to repulsion. Tenzin's family is a menagerie of expression as well. The two youngest who woke me at my bedside hold smiles, the oldest child is largely apathetic, and Tenzin is contemplative, thinking the correct reaction over in his head.

His wife, however, is none too pleased. "What on earth do you think you are doing?" She demands to know of me. Her anger strikes fear into me. Instinctively I cower back, tucking my shoulders in and bringing my hands close to my body.

"Pema, please." Tenzin says, trying to calm her, but she will not oblige.

"No – this is too far. It was one thing to bring her into our home, but to see her wearing those clothes…" Her searing eyes are stuck on me as she goes on, infuriated. "Tenzin, she attacked you!"

"It was my idea!" The Avatar steps forward to proclaim. The room goes silent for a moment. Being the newfound object of attention of all those in the room unsettles even her normally composed stance. "That is… well, it's cold, and… I mean, she needed something." Another pause of ghostly silence. "Look, if it's that big of a problem, then I'm to blame, not her, okay? Take your anger out on me." My eyes grow large for a moment and my jaw drops. _Why? Why is she standing up for me like this? Pema's right… after all I've done to them they __**should**__ hate me, and yet… and yet here… she…_

Summoning all of the tiny reserve of courage in me, I take in a deep, sore throated breath and speak once more. "I know." I begin, my breath barely escaping out to form the words. "I know that… that after all I've done to you all, I don' deserve this. I don' deserve any of this…" Despite my efforts to hold them back, glossy tears well up in my eyes. I look down to the smooth, wooden floor at my feet. "This kindness, this- this hospitality, none of it. So… I want to pay you back for all that you've done for me." I breathe in a great gulp of air, "And though… I won' like it, I'll do it." I look up at the young Avatar aside me, locking eyes with hers in a faint, troubled smile. "I'll try and teach you how to airbend, Korra."


	12. Invasion

Her name is Pema, and I do not envy her situation in the slightest. Surrounded on all sides by benders, by imposing local celebrities, and by those whom she has no idea if they are friend or foe, all the while the city being on the brink of collapse from an inevitable war, she has every right to be infuriated. She is merely one, powerless non-bender among so many monsters. I thought if I could experience the world as they do, if I could truly know the helplessness they suffer through every day, that the sins of my past could be absolved. How foolish I was to think redemption could be obtained so simply. Even though Pema knows nothing of my past, and even though she so faithfully believes in her husband and in the noblesse oblige of benders, when she looked at me with those eyes of fire I knew what she, along with every non-bender, was truly saying to me. "You will never know the plight of the victim, you will never be able to escape what you have done, and you will never, ever be our friend."

* * *

"Korra, I realize you've been through a lot," Tenzin speaks over the tense, unpleasant atmosphere at the dining table, "but I need to know everything that happened." I don't know what happened to her, but it seems the previous night was just as rough for her as it was for me. For a moment I contemplate asking, mainly because Pema is leaving the room with Asami to take care of dishes, but I keep my mouth shut. _Even if she's not here, I shouldn't say anything. Just stay in the background, Ming. It's where you belong right now._

"Well…" Korra begins, "first off, Tarrlok isn't who he says he is; he's Yakone's son." All faces in the room gasp, save for mine, as I have no idea who this person is.

"It all makes sense now." Says Bei-Fong. "That's how Tarrlok was able to bloodbend us without a full moon."

Bloodbending. A subset of waterbending, it is the most powerful and also the most taboo form of bending there is, so much that in Republic City and in most places across the world it is illegal. The user bends the blood within an animal or another person to control their movements entirely. I've never been bloodbent myself, and nor do I ever wish to – it sounds absolutely horrifying. The technique takes such skill however, that it is only possible to perform on a full moon, when a waterbender's power is at its greatest. But somehow Tarrlok is able to do it whenever he pleases, a frightening ability. _I guess this Yakone figure was able to as well._

"But how did you escape?" Asks Tenzin. "And where's Tarrlok?"

Korra moves her eyes down to the table as she replies. "Amon took him… and took his bending away as well. He showed up out of nowhere. He almost got me, too…"

"This is very disturbing news." Tenzin says with pockets of grim breath. "Amon is becoming emboldened. Taking out a councilman, almost capturing the Avatar…" He then turns to me. "Did you know any of this, Ming?"

His eyes upon mine snap me back into the conversation, and I stammer for a moment before remembering how words work. "I uh… erm… no. I'm sorry." It's hidden well by everyone, but I can see a sigh of disappointment across the table. "After I messed up at the gala, I wasn' being told much, and I was spending most of my time at Mr. Sato's factory, overseeing security there. The last thing I knew was that the mecha-tanks were ready to be tested. If I had to guess though…"

I pause for a moment, and Tenzin takes the chance to finish my sentence. "…Amon is entering his endgame."

* * *

"Thanks for what you did back there." Korra says with a relieved smile, as the two of us are making our way across the island to the main temple grounds, where I'm to start teaching her, a prospect I still can't believe I agreed to. Tenzin has left to go warn the other council members of what he has learned, and to protect the city should anything happen. Bei-Fong is helping watch the kids with Pema while he is away, and I haven't a clue where Mako and Asami have gone off to.

It's still hard for me to look directly at her when I speak. "I should be saying that to you. For standing up for me, I mean…" _I still don't know why she did._

"Oh, no- not that. That was nothing. But…" She trails off for a moment, thinking over her words. "Well… I didn't think you'd ever agree to teach me." _Oh… that._ "I thought for sure I'd have to rely on Tenzin, and he's… well he's a nice guy, but his teaching… I don't get any of what he's saying."

Before I can try to say something in response, a third voice interjects with two drawn-out syllables. "Kooorraaa!" Bolin shouts from afar, bounding our way in long, happy strides. Korra waves to greet him, but I remain still. He still notices me, of course, and as soon as he does, his face turns to a large smile, though anyone can tell it's half fake. "Um… hi!" He says hesitantly. "Ming… was it?"

"Yes, I- erm… Yes, that's right." I stutter. "And you are-"

"Bolin!" He finishes for me, grabbing my hand in a hearty handshake. "I meant to say hi in the dining hall, but man…"

"I know…" Korra grumbles. "Pema was shooting you death eyes the entire time."

I sigh under my breath. "You don' need to tell **me** that…"

"So you're… here now, huh?" Asks Bolin. "With us, I mean?"

I can't find the breath in me to give him an answer, regardless of what that answer might be. Korra sees my reluctance and creates a response for me. "Yup. And not only that, but she agreed to teach me airbending!"

Bolin's mouth forms a voiceless 'Ooh!' in excitement. "Well you've got a grade-A airbender on your side, that's for sure! Maybe even better than Tenzin!"

"W-What!?" I exclaim, shocked that he would say such a thing. "Don' be ridiculous! He's… he's an airbending master; I'm nowhere near that." _I wouldn' want to be anyway…_

" 'Nowhere near…'? Are you kidding me? Of course you are!" Bolin exclaims, then puts on a façade of ignorance for a moment. "Or, wait- I'm sorry, was that not you who bent freaking **sound**!?"

Korra's eyes light up instantly. "Whoa… really? Soundbending? I didn't even know that was a thing!"

"Oh it was so cool!" Bolin squeals. "I mean… even though it hurt like hell and I'm still having trouble hearing some things it was still SO COOL!"

"It's not actually sound… bend…" I begin to say, but trail off. _Never mind. They wouldn' understand it._

An awkward moment of silence follows, until Korra at least speaks up. "So, wait – I don't get it. If you hate your own bending so much… why are you so good at it? Are you like… some natural-born prodigy or something?"

_Not in the slightest._ "No, I…" I reply, then pause for a moment, thinking back into places bittersweet, though more bitter than sweet. "Forget it; I don' want to think about it. Let's just start your training already, okay?"

"Yes! Music to my ears!" Cheers Korra. "Man, I can't wait to finally learn airbending!"

I groan under my breath. _And she calls __**me**__ the childish one…_

* * *

Though neither of us asked him to, Bolin follows us to the small area of the temple grounds, away from too many prying eyes. I really don't care enough about all of this to argue with him to leave, though once we finally try and begin, I'm starting to consider it. He keeps asking questions, and they're not even good questions – they're rather stupid ones. "So what super-secret airbending move are you gonna teach her first, huh?" He asks, beaming like a child at a toy store.

I could very well try to teach it simply like that, just show her moves and when she obviously doesn't pick up on it, say "Oh well, I tried." and move on with my life. In truth though, I dislike doing a bad job enough that I'm going to give this an honest effort. Ignoring Bolin's inane questions, I ask one of my own to Korra. "The other three – water, earth, and fire – how do you bend those?"

She arches an eyebrow. " 'How do I…'? I… don't get it. What do you mean?"

_Do I have to spell it out? _"Like, just try and explain it to me. What's each one about?"

She thinks for a long moment, gathering her thoughts and words together, before she speaks again. "Well…" She finally begins, "Waterbending is like… well it's like a push and pull kind of thing." She pauses, as if expecting me to nod in understanding. "And you gotta be resourceful and versatile, using it in all its forms – ice, water, and moisture."

_O…kay… That didn't help at all. _"What about the other two?" I ask.

She thinks for a second. "Well, firebending's all about the breath, and it's about energy and the drive to succeed. And where waterbending gets its power from the moon, firebending gets its from the sun."

"And earthbending?"

She laughs. "Oh, earthbending's the easiest to understand." Bolin whines at the insult towards his art, which only makes her laugh more. It almost even elicits a snicker from me. "With earthbending, you have to root yourself into the ground. You know, like a tree? And it's about waiting and feeling to know the exact moment to strike, not being headstrong and running in blindly."

"Korra's great at that last part!" Bolin interjects, snatching her chance to get her back for before. Now that I can't help but laugh at.

Unfortunately, her descriptions don't help my task much. "I should've known." I say in a sigh.

"Hm? What do you mean?" Asks Korra.

"Well, airbending is kinda like those in some ways, but…"

"But…?"

"But at the same time it's entirely different. It's like…" I scratch my scalp in frustration, trying to think of a good way to describe it to her. "I don' know how to put it into words."

A voice butts in, Bolin's once more. I've come to expect it by now. "How about she show you what she knows and you can start from there?"

My eyes widen for a second as I turn to Korra, surprised. "I thought you've still never done it?"

She looks as though I just struck a flashing weak spot. "I… haven't, but I do know the forms."

"The what?"

Korra and Bolin exchange glances. "You know, like… the sets of movements?" Korra responds. "Crane, Monkey, Yielding Palm…?"

It takes me a moment to formulate a response. _'Forms'? Are they serious? _"Yeah, okay… that's um… great." I say, rolling my eyes. "But… don' worry about any of that stuff. You don' need to know it anyway."

Both are shocked to hear me say such a thing. "What do you mean- of course I do! …Don't I?" Says Korra. "Knowing the proper movements is fundamental in learning any bending; I can't just skip them and expect to know airbending!"

"Well **I** don' know them." I grumble.

She takes a second to formulate a response. "Really? But… how? Wait, who even taught you anyway?"

"I taught myself." Again, I don't like where this conversation is leading; my past is never a good place for it to be. "Look, do you want me to teach you or not?" I ask, trying to calm my nerves.

"Of course I do, it's just…" She scratches her scalp behind her ponytail in weariness, "I don't even know where to begin now after hearing all of this."

I think for a moment, feeling the cold air. _Okay, good – there's a tiny bit of a breeze. _"Which way is the wind blowing?" I ask. It seems like an out of the blue question for her. I was expecting it to be, though. She begins to bring her hand to her mouth, but I stop her, knowing exactly what she's thinking of doing. "No, don' lick your finger to find out, that's cheating."

She sets her hand back down, confused, disgruntled just a bit. "It doesn't seem like it's moving at all…"

"It is. Air is always moving; it's never entirely still. It always wants to go somewhere. Isn' water the same way?"

"Kinda, I guess… But I still don't think I can…"

_Yeesh… I thought I was the mopey one here, Korra…_ "Just feel." I tell her. "Close your eyes if you have to, sit down, whatever, and feel the air." Giving it another shot, she takes my advice and sits down on the tile pavement with her eyes closed, slowing her breathing, trying to heighten her senses. _I wonder how well she is at meditation. That might make things easier if she's good at it._ I sit down as well, but as soon as I do, the previously quiet winter air is violently disrupted by a thunderous boom from the east.

Korra opens her eyes instantly and all three of us turn in the direction of the sound. "The hell was that?" She exclaims.

"It came from the direction of the city, didn't it?" Asks Bolin, pointing towards the wall of foliage blocking any view of Republic City. _It did… Don't tell me- are they already…!?_

Korra stands up swiftly. "It sure sounded like it. Sorry Ming," She says, throwing a grave look my way, "this might have to wait a bit."

I don't know why I follow her and the young earthbender through the temple complex to a place where we may see the city, but my body does it for me, so I do not contest its choice. The Air Acolytes and White Lotus guards we pass by are nearly all as worried as we are, the former going to their rooms to hide and the latter readying themselves for a possible battle. Halfway to the main plaza we meet up with Mako and Asami, who also heard the noise and are rushing to investigate. Outside once again, we come across Bei-Fong.

"We heard explosions; what's going on?" Korra asks the former police chief.

Bei-Fong is curt in her answer. "Republic City is under attack." I look around Mako's tall frame to the city far away across the bay, and sure enough another burst of orange light erupts by one of the harbors, followed by a plume of dark grey smoke, and the sound of the explosion a few seconds later. Among the skyscrapers hover Equalist airships, black and red overseers. _It must be chaos on the ground… all-out war even. I wonder… I wonder if Taak is out there with them. He's probably piloting one of the mecha-tanks, so he should be safe, but…_

"We have to go." Says Mako. Korra, Bolin, and Asami all agree without any hesitation. "How many boats are at the dock right now?" He asks Bei-Fong.

"Just one." She answers.

Korra interjects. "Dang. So much for bringing all the White Lotus guys along to help. Looks like it'll be just us five."

" 'Five'?" Asami repeats, confused. "Who's the fifth?"

I also do not quite realize what she meant by that either, but as all eyes make their way to me one by one, I get the picture. "M-me!?" I stutter.

"Yeah, you're coming with us, aren't you?" Korra asks.

"There's room in the car, you're small enough!" Bolin smiles. "You can just squeeze in between me and Korra in the backseat!"

"It's not- I… no!" I exclaim, a sudden fear crept into me at the thought of going into that city right now. _I can't… Even if they all turned me away, I just can't fight against the Equalists. I refuse. _"Please, let me just stay here. I'll watch over the temple instead."

Divided among the four of them, they can sense the turmoil within me, and they agree. Before they make to leave, Korra looks directly into my eyes, and in the manner of a concerned friend, says "Be safe, okay?"

"I… yeah. I will." I respond, my voice quiet and reserved. "You do the same."

They leave then to the city, to danger. Bei-Fong and I stand and watch as they hurry to the island's dock. As the boat hurries off towards the city, a thought comes to me, and without thinking, I say it out loud. "I wonder if we'll ever see them again."

"What!? Don't be ridiculous!" Shouts Bei-Fong. "They'll be just fine out there." She shoots me an angry glare. "Or is there still something you're not telling us? Hm? Does Amon have another trick up his sleeve?"

"N-No!" I instinctively exclaim. "I-I mean I don' know. I already told you everything I know, I swear." _Though I'm sure he has __**something**__. He always does._

I don't think she totally believes me, but she turns back towards the view of the city under siege. "Tenzin and Korra may trust you, but don't think I do. I tried once, and I haven't forgotten the bruises I got in return for my naïveté."

Her words sting, but I'm used to that pain by now, the cold glances from atop hunched shoulders and eyes of disdain bearing down upon me. "No, you're right. I wouldn' trust me either…" I say, taking in a deep breath to keep my eyes dry. "To be honest, I don' know why they even bother with me. Why they think I've changed, or that I will. I haven', and I won'."

There is a quiet pause, the only noise the rustling of leaves in the brisk winter breeze and the distant reverberations in the air afar. I can see the conflict in the small wrinkles on Lin Bei-Fong's aging face. She wasn't expecting agreement, but conflict; that's what she's used to, that's what she deals with regularly. She struggles with what words to respond with, but they do eventually come, in the form of a simple question. "But do you want to?"

My valiant effort at holding back the tears finally begins to fail. "No… I don'." I tell her. "I'm an Equalist. That's where I belong. When was I with them I had friends, and I had a home, and… and I had someone who loved me."

She scoffs, throwing her chin up into the air. "Love…" she repeats, though it is not with the voice of a woman filled with ideas of romance, but of a woman who's been there and done that, and would prefer not to go back. "Love'll make you do some pretty stupid things…" She takes a deep breath, ending it in a sigh, and turns back my way. "That why you joined? Hm? Followed your boyfriend into his gang?"

"W-What!?" I stammer. "No, no, that's not it at all! I joined because-" I shouldn't have said those last three words.

"You joined because… why? Why did you join?"

I glance down at my feet snug in their brown Air Nomad shoes. I try to speak, but merely trip over my words for a moment. "I… well…" _Just tell her the same thing you told Amon. _I gulp, hoping I don't regret this. "I just wanted to get rid of bending. All it ever brings people is pain, so I wanted to get rid of it. That's all."

"That's all?" She echoes. I am quiet, holding no response. "Why? Why do you think it's so evil, hm? What, because of what happened to your moth-"

"Yes, because of that!" I yell. "Being a bender was the worst thing that ever happened to me! It destroyed my family and ruined my life!"

Another long pause, several minutes of tense silence, interrupted periodically by the thunderous sound of invasion in the distance. "Ming…" Bei-Fong eventually interrupts the quiet with. "I'm sorry to hear that, but… but it doesn't mean you can-" At that very word my attention is instantly stolen away. The air has changed ever so slightly, a tiny mote of information to any other type of bender, but to me it is a lighthouse's beacon in a cold night. _Something's coming… _From close to the island I can feel it: something large is nearing. "Are you even paying attention to me anymore?" Bei-Fong says, snapping me back to my immediate surroundings.

I stare at her for a moment, my mind remembering how to translate thoughts into words. "We're… we're in danger!" I pinpoint the disturbance's location and turn my body in that direction, and lo and behold, high in the sky is an Equalist airship, steadily approaching. Bei-Fong follows my gaze and goes wide-eyed as well upon glimpsing its ominous visage.

She, however, preserves her poise. "I can't say I'm surprised. It was only a matter of time before they showed up."

From the temple building behind us emerges Pema and her children. "We heard shouting!" Pema exclaims, fearful. "What's-" Instantly she notices it too. It has come so close it would be impossible not to. From the airship is fired downwards a thick metal cable with a giant claw attached on the end. It crashes into the stone pathway before the dock and latches on tight, anchoring the airship. Down the cable like a zip-line instantly pour a score of Equalist troops.

"Everyone, go back inside!" She warns them. "Stay hidden, keep quiet, and remain calm." Immediately, Pema lets out a pained yell. "What did I just say? Keep quiet! Pull it together, Pema!"

But this was not a rebellious defying of orders. "Mommy, what's wrong?" Her eldest asks, concerned.

"The baby's coming!" She cries. The look of horror on Bei-Fong's would be priceless to enjoy, were it not for the gravity of the situation at large.

"Not now, baby!" The youngest airbender growls, oblivious. A pair of Air Acolytes come out from behind the doors inside to quickly rush Pema away to safety. As they do, after the first airship comes a second, undetectable from behind the first one, and drops another platoon of soldiers. The White Lotus sentries combat them, but even from here, far away, I can see they're losing. Soon, it will be only Bei-Fong and I left to thwart the Equalist attack.


	13. Negotiation

Their names are Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo, and they, along with their father and myself, are the last remaining airbenders in the world, and if luck should be on their side, another will be added to our ranks by the end of the day. It must be strange, being seen as so 'special' from the very day you were born. A small part of me is jealous of them, but for the most part, I believe I pity them. It undoubtedly has affected the way they grew up and are developing into members of society. I know many would call me also a child still (and not just because of my size), and say I too am still growing into an adult, but I never lived like a celebrity; I was nobody – just a poor kid on the street, a quiet and strange little girl, a loner. There was only one person back then, who when I was still a young child told me I was special, that I was someone worth protecting, but he's gone now. Other people have said things similar in the past few months since I came to this conflicted city, but their words never held the same significance as those of that young, wild boy who danced among the rooftops of Ba Sing Se.

* * *

"Are you ready to fight, Ming?" Bei-Fong asks.

I'm not in the slightest, and I doubt I ever will be, even if I wanted to. I tell her the truth. "No…"

She grumbles under her breath, displeased. "Well get ready, and quick."

I'm not listening. Words flow from my mouth freely and without resistance, my soul speaking directly. "I don' want to be here. I don' want to fight them. I don' want to fight anyone."

"But you can't." Bei-Fong interjects.

"But I can'." I repeat, taking in deep, undulating breaths of cold air. "Tenzin saved my life; I owe him. I know. And what better way than... But… but I just can' do this!" I turn my eyes to Bei-Fong. "I'm going to talk to them."

"Say what!?"

"Please! Please let me try and negotiate something!" I plead. "I have to… I know these people! Even if we may not call each other comrades anymore, I… I have to at least try."

She doesn't like the idea – it's written all over her face. "If one punch is thrown, I'm taking them all down." She growls.

"That's fine." I say, and take two fearful steps forward. Coming our way up the stairs is about a dozen Equalists, and leading the charge is the Lieutenant himself, electrified kali sticks at the ready. I take one last deep breath, filled with nervousness, then shout into the air "Ji-Shou!"

Immediately he stops, and all his men and women behind him follow suit. "How do you know my name, scum?" He asks. "Who are you!?"

I being to close the distance between us. Bei-Fong tries to follow, but I hold a palm up. "Stay here." I say quietly.

"Are you mad!? I'm not letting those fiends tear you apart."

"No." I reply, curtly. "I have to do this alone. It'll mean nothing if you're at my side."

Again she really hates the idea, but again she goes along with it. I give her a weak smile of thanks, then continue taking light, fearful steps towards my former superior. "It's me! Ming Ku-Sim!"

I can see his temper flare at the sound my name. His shoulders hunch and his lip curls inward as he scowls at me from below his brow, teeth bared in a snarl. "Ming!? Ming the deceiver who betrayed Amon's mercy?"

I swallow my fear and step forward once more. "That's right." I answer. "I did betray you… all of you… and I did turn my back at my one and only chance to make it up. And I would say I am sorry a thousand times but I know it wouldn' be enough. But I also helped you achieve your goals, and… and I believed in your cause! I still do! And for months I was your comrade and your friend, wasn' I? I know all of you were mine! I wouldn' have traded that friendship for the world!"

The silence in the air that follows is deafening. "No… but you would gladly trade it for your bending." The Lieutenant says in a low, cold voice that pierces straight into my heart. "I thought perhaps you might at least have a little dignity in you, but look at you! Wearing Air Nomad tunics? Disgusting! As soon as we threw you out you wasted no time getting cozy with the very people you called your enemy! You've no shame at all!"

He brings his kali sticks in front of him like he is readying the charge once more, but I shout again to stop him. "Wait! Please! Fine, I admit it!" Tears finally escape my eyes. "I'm a no-good, two-timing, shameless, heartless… airbender! I admit it, okay!? But please!" I swallow a teary lump in my throat, then point behind me. "There's a woman in labor inside that building. If there's a fight in there something could happen to the baby… Please, I just don' want anyone getting hurt…"

Even the Lieutenant's apathetic demeanor is shaken for a moment upon hearing that news, but still his words are riddled with hateful venom. " 'Getting hurt'? You benders hurt us every day just by existing!" He yells. "But fine. We'll leave that building alone. But that leaves you and the former Chief of Police ripe targets!" He sneers, then gives a malicious laugh. "I can't wait to tell Taak I beat the tar out of his old girl!"

His name freezes me. "Taak…?" I sputter, my eyes wide open, staring blankly into space. "Taak, is he… is he alright? Where is he?"

"Tch. Why should I answer?" Spits the Lieutenant, but then his face turns spiteful. "Why do you care, anyway? He doesn't care about **you** anymore."

"W-what…?" I gasp. "No! No, that's not true! It can' be!" The tears return in full force.

"Oh, but it is! He said himself he 'never wants to see that filthy airbending scum again'!"

_No… No Taak, you wouldn'… please tell me you wouldn'… _I fall to my knees and weep, praying in my mind he's lying, that he's just telling me a fib to goad me into attacking, or merely to break my spirit. Time slows. I hear the Lieutenant's footsteps. Quick and light, he is moving in to subdue. Then his troops, a clamor of noise, and then Bei-Fong's, hoping to intercept in time. _But she won'._ I still can't bring myself to fight back, to stand up and resist, to airbend away the man I once called sir. I can only stay here and submit myself to my fate, the fate of a betrayer. But then…

_That wind!_

"Stay away from my friend!" A young voice cries out, and from above, piercing downwards through the air on an Air Nomad glider, is Jinora, Tenzin's eldest child. Catching the Lieutenant off-guard, she lands gracefully, folds in the glider and, wielding it as a staff, swings a great gust of air directly into him, knocking him completely over a pavilion rooftop and into the wild mess of foliage surrounding the temple grounds.

"Jinora, you shouldn't be here!" Bei-Fong exclaims, jumping into the fray. As soon as she does, however, the other children, Ikki and Meelo, join the action, speeding along on bursts of airbending and blasting Equalist troops left and right. Bei-Fong would fight as well, but I think she's in too much of a shock seeing these kids demolish an entire battalion of trained, armed forces to move all that much. However, once all the troopers are beaten beyond any hope of retaliation (though the Lieutenant is still missing somewhere on the island), she moves in to constrict them all with her metalbender cables, tying them up, arms behind their backs. When the White Lotus sentries meet up with us after their embarrassing thrashing earlier, they help her in keeping them restrained, lining them up. I keep myself hidden away in the pavilion, sparing myself whatever harsh words the subdued men and women may have for me. "Now all that's left is to wait for Tenzin to return."

He does just that, in a little under an hour, flying in on his bison. Korra and the others who left earlier are with him. His children are more than delighted to see him safe, as is he glad to see them unharmed. "We caught the bad guys, Dad!" Meelo proclaims proudly.

"You let them fight!?" Tenzin rages at Bei-Fong. I'm doubly glad I stayed hidden now. "Do you realize what could've happened?"

"Ming would've been toast if it weren't for your kids. Me too, most likely." She responds calmly. "You should be proud. You taught them well. Go on, be with your wife."

That calms his brief anger. Tenzin and his children pass me on the way inside, sitting down against one of the wooden support beams hugging my knees. We give each other a moment's glance, and I open my mouth in a quiet breath to say a word of thanks. "Jinora… I just wanted… to say thank you for calling me your friend." She beams a warm smile, steps up to me and wraps her arms around my shoulders in a gentle, wordless hug, then returns to her family's side and goes on inside.

All the rest follow in eventually as well, though Bolin and Asami end up coming right back out to stay out here with me. The three of us stare out onto the broken cityscape. A second wave of airships is coming, no doubt to make up for the first wave's failure. We don't have any words for each other, we just stare. Eventually the others return outside. They have words.

"What do you want to do, Tenzin?" Korra asks the de facto leader of our party.

He exhales a deep and tired sigh. "I need to protect my family, and get them as far away from this conflict as possible. If Amon got his hands on my children…" He shudders slightly. "I hate to even think of it."

"If you're leaving, then I'm going with you." Says Bei-Fong. Tenzin as usual immediately tries to interject a rebuttal, but she stops it cold. "No arguments! You all are the last airbenders; there's no way I'm letting Amon take your bending away."

Tenzin gives up his short-lived, futile fight. "Fine. Korra," he addresses, turning to her, "I want you to leave this island and hide for the time being."

Now it's her turn to argue. "I'm **not** giving up!" She says, headstrong.

"I'm not asking you to." He says, calming her. "I sent word to the United Forces. They will be here soon. Once my family is safe I will return with reinforcements, and we can turn the tide in this war."

"Right. So what you're saying is… I need to be patient." Korra inhales and exhales one breath slowly, methodically. "I understand."

Tenzin puts a fatherly hand on her shoulder. "You're learning well. Which reminds me. Ming," He says, turning to me, "you're going with her."

"W-what?" I exclaim. "But… I thought I was going with you… wasn' I? B-because I'm an airbender?" _I really wanted to get away from all of this too! …And ride the flying bison._

Another sigh from the old man. "Korra's airbending training must be continued. I'm sorry for putting you in harm's way because of this, but…" His words fall short and we stand in silence for a moment.

"Tenzin, if we're leaving, we'd better do it now!" Bei-Fong exclaims. She and Tenzin's family have all boarded their flying bison and are ready to leave.

He gives her a nod, then looks at all of us and says quietly. "Stay safe. All of you." before hopping on board himself and flying away into the cloudy sky. Two of the airships begin a gradual turn to the left to give chase, while the others hover over us and latch on, just as did the first, sending even more waves of troops to capture the island.

The White Lotus sentries step between us and our attackers "Go! We'll hold them off!" One exclaims, a shaky confidence in his breath that only comes with full awareness of being a sacrifice for a greater good.

Korra nods, and runs to her polar bear dog, Naga. "Everyone! Climb on!" She shouts.

" 'Everyone'…?" I repeat, nervous. I've purposely avoided that pet of hers – she doesn't like me.

Bolin sneaks up from behind me, picks me up and carries me off. "Everyone means everyone, little lady!" He grins. "Come on!"

"B-but can she really carry all of-"

"Oh shut up…" Asami groans. "You barely weigh anything anyway."

Korra leans down close to Naga's ear and says in a calming, serious tone "Let's go, girl." and swiftly the polar bear dog bursts into action. I've never rode an animal before, it's far bumpier than I'd imagined, even being wedged in tight between Bolin and Mako. We flee down the hill to the edge of the island, in the direction of the now boat-less pier. But halfway there a man intervenes to stop our escape.

"Moustache Guy!" Bolin cries. The Lieutenant slides down the steep cliff face from above, his electrified weapons crackling with energy, his temper boiling. _No! Not this time!_

"Bolin!" I shout above the noise of our hasty retreat. "Hold my legs still!" Sparing no time to contemplate the order, he complies, and I stand up on Naga's back. The Lieutenant springs into the air to attack with a resounding battle cry, but I'm on him. "Naga, jump!" Thankfully, she also understands the gravity of the situation well enough to go along with my plan (and knows the word 'jump') and manages to leap up into the air with all of us on her. Summoning a great fount of wind from behind us, I lift the polar bear dog several heights high, enough for her to knock the Lieutenant out cold with a great swipe of one of her massive paws, tossing him down onto the thin canopy aside the beach, out of our sight.

"Nice one, you two!" Korra smiles after we land, and I lose my footing and fall back into Bolin's arms. I almost find myself blushing at the compliment.

We waste no more time patting ourselves on the back. We need to flee, and in little time we make it to the pier, and what once was joy in me, that we successfully escaped, immediately turns to dread. "Uh… guys?" I stammer. "How are we…?"

"Just hold on tight!" Korra assures us. "Naga and I will take care of the rest!" We continue bounding towards the end of the pier. _Oh no… don' tell me!_

"You know I can' stand small…!" Too late. I close my eyes as Naga dives straight in and Korra bends the water to make a bubble around us. I hear the splash of her giant weight crashing into the bay, and feel the droplets of water missed soaking into my clothes, but I'm too afraid to open my eyes, merely clinging on to whomever's clothes these are in my hands. Bolin's, probably. We are all quiet for a time, nobody daring to make a noise else we be discovered. The water surrounding us gargles in strange underwater noises, and the muffled reverberations of the sound of explosive combat far away come in intervals like soft, distant thunder.

Eventually, Bolin's voice permeates our silent bubble. "Ming, you don't need to be so afraid. Korra's got this totally under control." He says. "Don't you, Korra?"

"If I'm allowed to concentrate, sure." She replies, annoyed.

"If she's allowed to concentrate, sure." He echoes. "So don't worry."

Wanting to believe his words, I open my eyes for a second. We are on the bay's seafloor, Naga walking along in slow, graceful steps. Beyond the bubble Korra is keeping waterbent around us the sea looks just as I would have imagined it would from so far down below, every blue one could imagine swirling about with the rays of winter sunlight trudgingly piercing through. Above us fish and scant other small sea creatures are swimming about, as if our presence isn't even noticed. I'm sure many would find the view picturesque, entrancing even, but for me it is absolutely terrifying. I instantly jam my eyes closed again and cling harder to the rough, dirty fabric of Bolin's clothing, wishing I'd never foolishly thought to take a look. So many millions upon billions of gallons of water all around waiting for one slip-up in Korra's bending to crush us all like ants, and so incredibly close… it's almost too much for me to think about and not fall into a panicking mess. It seems like hours to my troubled mind until we start to rise up once more, and eventually, finally break the surface. I immediately take in a grateful breath of fresh air, then exhale a sigh of relief, finally able to relax.

That moment of respite is broken short even quicker than it came to be, as we are still on the run. Naga walks up onto land, into a massive drainage pipe of the sewers, empty save for a tiny stream at the bottom running off into the bay, and lets us off. We take a moment to look back at Air Temple Island, so far away now, the orange lights of dusk behind it. It has now been captured by Amon; there is no doubt of that. Asami and I are the first to break our gaze away from the sight. _I guess she doesn' have much attachment to the place either._ Mako and Bolin eventually look away as well, but Korra – she cannot. _That was her home for months, just as the Equalists' base was mine. She must feel the same way I did when I could no longer go back._ I want to say something, to give her a feeling of solidarity, but Mako beats me to it. "Korra, we should go." He says, putting a hand on her shoulder. I don't think anyone else noticed it, but the moment he touched her, Asami flashed a look of venom their way. Korra's reluctantly agrees, following us into the sewer tunnel. "Ming, we're following your lead now. You know these tunnels, right?"

"Yeah, I do." I say in a single, morose breath. I think for a moment, drawing out a quick layout of the tunnel system in my head. "I know somewhere safe we can stay." _Assuming that place is still even there…_ With Mako and Korra at my side firebending simple flames to light the way, I lead them into the bowels of the city. Up above the sounds of combat, which had lasted nearly all day, have ceased to be. No more explosions, no more smoke, no more flashes of light, no more resistance. This is Amon's city now.


	14. Connection

Her name is Asami, and she is a complicated individual, one I have trouble trying to read. Her mother, like mine, was killed by a bender, but our methods of dealing with the loss are different. I hate in a simple manner, as does Amon and Hiroshi, by lashing out at bending. But Asami? She has her own brand of anger, that much is obvious, but to what is it directed at? Or to whom? Is it towards her father, the man who values his own hatred over the wishes of his daughter? If so, then why does she use his inventions to fight him? That would make it a pointless victory if won, wouldn't it? Though… I am doing just that myself, using the tool that slew my mother in my aid, even though I swore I would never do so again. Perhaps it's a necessary evil we all have to accept in our personal crusades. Perhaps the ends truly do justify the means. But if that is true, and we all combat our foes with nothing but anger and hatred, then I fear we are already lost, getting nowhere, achieving nothing.

* * *

An hour after nightfall I find the place I had been leading everyone to, and it is just as lively as I remember it, perhaps even more so. A shantytown built in an old, abandoned underground warehouse, I discovered it in my early days as an Equalist, when I was still learning the tunnels and became lost frequently trying to return home. I don't know if anyone among my ex-comrades ever knew of the place, but I had never heard it mentioned, so I decided to keep it my secret, partly because there was a small community of homeless folk here, and I'd have hated to see them uprooted from this place of theirs, should Amon have decided to do so. When I discovered the shantytown, I kept myself hidden and did not alert the people living here to my presence, even though I was not in an Equalist uniform at the time – I did not want to raise any suspicion. In the end, no one ever knew I was there, for which I am now thankful, as there is no one here now to remember my face and possibly cause problems.

There is also now far more than merely the poor and destitute populated the small village. Many refugees from above ground have fled here to escape the invasion. What was once just a small handful of shacks has grown into an entire village. It's an interesting place – above one can see large breaks in the metal ceiling and beyond that the sky. Where the sunlight pours in have been grown gardens, which have become meeting areas for the inhabitants here. But what I still find to be the most alarming aspect is that it is not only non-benders who live here; there are plenty of benders as well, and yet there is no conflict. The earthbenders have created temporary tenements for people to live in, the firebenders provide heat, and the waterbenders purify water to render it safe to drink. _Not sure what I could do to help… if anything._ It seems like the ideal utopia of everyone working together in harmony that Tenzin and so many others wish in, but I can't help but think it's only because of the severity of the situation at large. _I doubt it'd be like this if they didn't all have a common enemy._

With one of us being the Avatar, we didn't have to do anything but show up to be graciously welcomed into the community. "Are you really an airbender?" A man asks me, not long after we all finally have a chance to sit down and rest our legs after the long day. Most of the sparse crowd that has gathered is centered around Korra, but a few, upon noticing my airbender (not just Air Acolyte, as one person was knowledgeable enough to know) attire, broke off to come my way.

I bite the bullet, stuttering out the truth. "Y-yes, I am." I veer away from my Ba Sing Se accent again, already the attention of far too many inquisitive eyes.

"Is Councilman Tenzin your father?" An elderly lady asks.

"No!" I exclaim, shocked at the very thought. "He is definitely not!" I get the feeling they don't totally believe me, but I don't really care. _It's not like I can tell them why I'm so sure. They wouldn't believe me. …I doubt anyone would._

"Can you show us some airbending?" A girl in her early adolescence asks, starry-eyed.

The request catches me off-guard. "I… um, well…" I stammer.

"Pleeeease?" She stretches the word out, in a wide, exaggerated face revealing canine teeth. The others look excited to see a display as well. I turn to Korra and the others for assistance, but none is to be found. They've all gone somewhere else in the village, leaving me alone with this hungry audience.

I lower my head in a defeated sigh. "Fine…" That brightens their faces. Putting my hands out directly in front of me, thumbs pointing together, I take a quick breath and then, grabbing at the tiny movements in the air before me, spin my hands around in a circle, creating a circle of wind, a loop current. The crowd makes a small "Oooooh…" in appreciation.

I continue to move my hands around the circle to keep it steady, accounting for outside forces of air. The girl who asked me in the first place catches on to this. "What happens if you let go?" She asks.

Instead of trying to explain it to her, I simply do as she commands and lower my hands to the side, take a step back, and wait. The current stays stable for a few seconds, but then begins to wobble, like a top losing its momentum, until it eventually unravels into tiny, rogue gusts of wind that flutter about everywhere before settling back down into calm air. The girl gives a light round of applause. The others look to be expecting more. "Is… that it?" One asks, hesitant.

Again I start to stutter. "Uh… erm… that is…"

"Sorry, Ming's all booked right now." Comes Asami's voice from behind. I swivel around to see her approach and my heart soars at someone coming to save me from this nervous mess I've gotten myself into. She grabs my shoulders and starts to yank me backwards, away from the crowd. "Check back later, we might have some time slots open." I turn around and she gives me the smallest of gestures, saying "C'mon. Let's get out of here." _Not a moment too soon…_

When we are away and out of earshot, I relish the opportunity to take in a deep, unfettered breath of relief. "You can thank me later." Asami says.

"I'll thank you **now**." I reply in an exhausted laugh. "I can' deal with people. Especially not a bunch of them. This is why I didn' want to wear these stupid clothes…" I grumble.

A tiny laugh escapes from Asami's ruby lips as well. "You're the exact opposite of Korra. She was loving the attention."

_That sounds just like her… _"Where's everyone now?"

"Up ahead. Bolin earthbended us a little place to sleep. It's… ratty… but I guess it'll have to do. Not like we have much of a choice, huh?"

" 'A place to sleep'…?" I echo, thinking to myself. _No… I think I do have a choice._ "It isn'… you know…" I squish my hands close together in front of me to convey the message.

"It's ah… Hm." She puts a finger to her chin, not saying another word. _Great._

As it turns out, the rock igloo he earthbent for all of us isn't as little as I thought it'd be, easily able to fit all five of us lying down, but it still makes me feel a bit uncomfortable with such a low ceiling. He acknowledges my uneasiness and opens up a hole in the top, which works out to everyone's advantage when Mako gets a small fire going in the center, the hole allowing the smoke to escape.

Eventually however, the hour grows late. Korra and Bolin crash early, far too exhausted from the day's events. Mako and Asami look like they don't have much longer until they too retire for the night. I'm a little tired, but I can't let myself fall asleep – I have something I want to do, and tonight might be my only chance to do it. So I pretend to fall asleep with the rest of them, lying down on the cold ground with a thin sheet over me as Mako extinguishes the fire and goes to bed himself. It is difficult not to actually drift off into dreamland as I wait long enough to deem it safe to quietly get up and leave the hut. When I finally do, I do not know just how much time has passed; perhaps thirty minutes, perhaps an hour. Fortunately, I am light enough on my feet that sneaking out is easy, not to mention Korra's snoring would easily mask any noise I might make.

Outside the air is noticeably chillier. Shivering, I pull my arms out of the sleeves and hug my chest to keep them warm. _It'll be warmer once you're back in the tunnels. _ I make my way through the village, through winding alleys between dirty shacks and under hanging laundry, trying not to be seen but acting as casual as I can manage to those who do spot me, passing by with a smile or a small nod of the head. No one asks any questions of me, thank goodness, or there's a chance I would have fumbled trying to come up with an answer. By the time I reach the shantytown's edge however, just before I pass through the side door that brought us here back into the tunnel system, someone does call out. And not just anyone…

"Going somewhere?" Asami says suddenly, a voice appeared out of total silence.

I jump in my skin, letting out a small shriek and a gasp as I quickly spin around to face her. Her arms are crossed, and her booted foot is tapping loudly on the concrete floor, incredibly displeased. "I…! Um… I was just…!"

"You were just… what? Planning to ditch us again?"

"No!" I exclaim.

"Really?" She shifts her weight, then takes a step closer. The large difference in height between us injects a timid fear into me whenever she approaches me, so fiercely, so dauntingly. "You know, personally I don't really care if you stay or if you go. You can-"

"I said I'm not!"

"Then where are you going?" She demands to know.

_Just tell her. There's no point in trying to hide it now. _"The old Equalist base." Before she can take that the wrong way and interject, I continue. "I wanted to see… I wanted to see if some of my old things are still there. …And I suppose it wouldn' hurt to try and find supplies."

Her mood lightens up noticeably. _See, Ming? Honesty is the best policy._ She still has some words for me though. "You had to do this in the middle of the night, though?" I am silent. I can't bring myself to answer that question. "Well, whatever. I'm coming with you."

"That's fine." I say quickly, opening the door quietly.

* * *

Asami and I are both on full alert as we pass through the quiet, dark tunnels underneath occupied Republic City. Or rather, I am and she's trying to be. She's lived such a high-class life that trudging about in dank, dirty sewer tunnels is a bit too much for her. "This is the third time I've been down here and it's still revolting…" She even lets me know. I, on the other hand, am used to being in the grime. Growing up in the slums will do that to you. "I'm surprised we haven't found anyone down here yet." She remarks.

"We're not at the base yet."

"Even so, you'd think there'd be **someone.** A patrolman, maybe?"

"The plan was, when Republic City was taken over, to abandon the old base. So there's probably nobody down here."

"And if there is?"

"You know martial arts, don' you?" I ask, speaking rhetorically. "You must if you were able to sneak up on me like that. Not to mention, you chi-blocked me when we were on the airship."

Asami visibly cringes at that memory. "Yeah… look. Please don't tell anyone I can do that." She says, her voice in a lower, apologetic register. I stop in my tracks, my curiosity successfully piqued. "A few years ago I was in kind of an angsty, rebellious period in my life, and I wanted to learn the art. I found a teacher and learned in secret, alongside my regular martial arts lessons. I didn't even let my father know. Though… knowing what I do now about him, he probably would've been elated to have me learn."

I think on her story for a second. "Did it ever get you in trouble?"

"No. No one ever figured out. Well… except you, of course. I didn't even know you were a bender then, I just… you know what – let's just forget this and move on."

_Sure. _We continue on through the tunnel system a decent ways in silence, until Asami recognizes something. "Hold on. This is where we entered when we rescued those police officers.

She's right; there is a main entrance here, hidden as a featureless sewer wall, but we can't use it. "We can' go in this way. It can only be opened from the inside."

"Chief Bei-Fong was able to get us in, are you sure?"

_ She's a metalbender – of course she could._ "Yes. There's an old drainage pipe we turned into an escape hatch. We'll use that."

"A… pipe?" She recoils. "Oh no, there is no way I am getting on my hands and knees in this place."

"It's not that small, I can get under it if I duck."

"Yeah, but you're like four feet."

I seethe an angry grumble. "I'm four-seven, thank you very much…" Ten or so minutes later and we come across the old metal hatch. I have to climb a few steps up a small ladder along the wall to reach it, but as I try to yank it open it's not budging. "It's rusted shut." I groan.

"Just knock it open with your airbending." Says Asami. My mind immediately shuns the idea, readying an rebuttal, but at the same time I can't think of any other way to get it open right now; trying to punch it with all those rusted edges is too dangerous and it's too high up to reach with a kick. Silently, giving up the argument before it could even start, I climb down to the bottom of the ladder, then take a few steps backwards. Wanting to get this over with quickly, I thrust a fist directly at the metal plate, letting out a concussive blast of air that breaks it open easily. The noise is thunderous after the hour of silence and stealth spent in these tunnels, but it and the winds both quickly return to normal, relative peace.

"Alright, there. I did it." I say, with a small stroke of frustration in my voice. "Can you move it out of the way? You've got gloves on." Asami begrudgingly agrees, climbing up the ladder, grabbing the rusted remains of the metal hatch, and throwing it down into the larger sewer tunnel, another brief cacophony disrupting the quiet. _Hopefully no one heard any of that._

Asami's fears come true – she does have to go on her hands and knees, but only for a moment as she follows me in. I'm just as perturbed walking through the tight, narrow drainage pipe, though for obviously different reasons. So when we reach the other edge, not even a minute after we enter, we're both glad to be out of there.

Finally inside the base now, it takes me a moment to remember where in it we are. "It's so different now…" I sigh. Though it is only a random hallway we popped out into, the difference comes to me immediately: no sounds of chatter and movement echoing out of the distance, no banners on the walls, and only half of the lights are still on. It puts a powerful melancholy into me.

"So where are we going?" Asks Asami.

_Right. I almost forgot._ "Supply rooms. I want to check the quartermaster's area to see if there are any spare weapons or uniforms."

"Uniforms? Don't tell me you miss yours already."

"No!" _Well, I do kinda…_ "I meant for reconnaissance."

"Oh… that's not such a bad idea." She remarks.

We make our way through the quiet and dark halls to the quartermaster's storage area, where months ago I first received my uniform. Inside is even darker, and it's hard to see anything. "Where's Mako when you need him…?" I grumble, worming my way through the darkness. "We could use some light in here…"

His name put a sour note in Asami. "Forget him." She snaps.

I'm surprised to hear her say such a thing. _Aren't they together …?_ Putting the thought to the side for the time being, I continue to rummage through what I can see was left here. Asami and I pull box after box out into the light to look through each's contents. Most of them are empty, but some hold items useful for people like us living out in the street: rope, cloth, random kitchen supplies, et cetera. At one point Asami finds a lighter, and we both rejoice at our job becoming much easier. Once we've searched all there is to search, we make a couple of bags with the thick cloth and carry what we can out. There were no weapons to be found, but that's unsurprising.

Asami doesn't look pleased at the load she has to carry all the way back to the village. "Are we all set to head back? I'm getting really sleepy." She complains.

"Hold on. There's just one other place I want to go." I reply. She groans, but comes along with me through the bowels of the abandoned base. _I have to see. If I can' know then I at least have to see._ My body knows exactly where it needs to go, reaching its destination in little time.

"What's in here?" She asks, as we stop before a featureless metal door on the top floor.

My voice doesn't come to me right away. It's caught up in my throat as I choke on the onslaught of emotions inevitably rising forth. "This was… my-" I say, then correct myself, "our room."

" 'Our'?" She repeats. I slowly open the door, immediately recognizing the creak of the door on its old hinges. There is no light inside. I bring the lighter before me and produce a flame so I can see.

It is empty. The room is barren of everything but the remnants of our bed, a broken frame and box spring. The end table is gone. The lamp is gone. Our clothes are gone. Everything gone, vanished. I can't hold it in anymore. I extinguish the lighter's flame as my eyes flood with grief at the sight.

Asami is quiet, letting my emotions run their course. When I've had my cry and have calmed somewhat, she asks "What was he like?"

The question catches me off-guard. "Huh?" I mumble, sniffling. "How did you…?"

She smiles, but it is a smile that hides much. "It's written all over your face. You loved him, didn't you?"

I take a deep, heavy breath to keep the tears from returning. "…I did." I respond. "I… I loved him with all my heart, and he did the same, but… but when he found out, it was over." I breathe another stabilizing breath. "Well…"

"…Over for him, but not for you?" She cuts in, knowing exactly what I was going to say. I give her a look like she's reading my mind. She continues, but her masking smile has long since faded. "You know… we're actually pretty alike, Ming. And I don't just mean because we both have an ability that we're ashamed of… You're not the only one going through a rough heartbreak right now."

"I thought… but aren' you and Mako…?"

She forms a slight scowl at his name again. "I wish I could think we are, but… well, you've seen the way he is with Korra. They may be oblivious, but for me the truth is becoming harder and harder to deny." She sighs, leaning against the door frame. I can see in her face: she too has tears to fight. She's a lot better at it than I am, though. "And in the end he's going to choose her over me. That's just how it's going to be. And why wouldn't he? She's the damn Avatar-" She stops before her temper gets the better of her. "Sorry, I'll stop. You don't want to hear me complain." A small silence is held between us before she speaks again. "If you don't mind me asking, before we go… what's his name?"

It takes a moment for me to answer, a moment of memories. "Taak." I answer. That ends our conversation, and the two of us begin our trek back through the tunnels, to the underground village where a much-appreciated night's rest awaits us.


	15. Occupation

His name is Gommu, and he's the friendliest hobo I've ever met, and I've met a lot of hobos. He grew up in an orphanage until he was fifteen, at which point he lied about his age to join the United Forces as a telegraph operator, though it was really just an excuse to travel the world, which he did. However, when the telegraphs became obsolete with the advent and rise of radio, he eventually found himself unemployed, and returned to Republic City, his hometown, for work, though there was none to be found. I knew a great number of people in similar circumstance when I was with the Equalists, all obviously non-benders, but Gommu never once considered joining up as they did. Ironically, their invasion of the city gave the old man his first job in over two decades, the _de facto_ mayor of this nameless shantytown. It's interesting, contradicting almost to me, seeing people come to him for help, even though the Avatar is right in their midst. I guess I've still got a bit to learn about how society works.

* * *

The morning after my little excursion with Asami is one pleasant, though also very busy. The other three are delighted to see the provisions we brought back. "There was more as well, though not **too** much." Asami tells them over a meager breakfast. "And the base was abandoned, so it was no trouble getting it." That's happy news to their ears, but there's little time for celebration. We have work to do, getting set up and ready for the United Forces' arrival. That doesn't stop Bolin from goofing off, though. The first thing he does is try and squeeze into one of the Equalist uniforms for laughs, though the two sets we grabbed are both too small for him, much to his dismay.

We are far from the only benders here; in fact the percentage of benders among the village's population is much higher than the average, which is unsurprising considering us and our abilities are the targets of Amon's crusade. However, though we be among many, the four of us are the most skilled here in our respective crafts, and that includes Korra's abilities in her non-native elements: her firebending and earthbending still isn't quite up to par with Mako's and Bolin's, respectively, and of course she still hasn't managed to airbend, so I'm all alone in that field. Unfortunately for me, that means I am constantly being turned to for assistance around the village. Most of the time the requests are stupid, born out of laziness, and I don't even bother. One lady even asks me to dry out her laundry. There is only one request I agree to fulfill: before a large ventilation shaft has sat a massive fan unused for years, and one of the men, a firebender who worked as an engineer for the power plant, believes it would do the village well to have a stream of circulation. "It's hooked up to a battery, and the battery's got enough juice in it to last us at least a week before we'd have to recharge it, so all we'd need is a little push to get the fan moving." And that's where I come in. "You can help us with that, can't you?" Of course at first I am hesitant, as I always am to use my airbending, but the man is absolutely right – the air down here is stale and sour and downright unpleasant. So I agree. The man wasn't kidding; the fan is rather stuck. My blasts and gusts of air aren't doing anything to it. Fed up, I kick the fan, which actually knocks some of the hardened, rusted gunk out of place. It hurt my foot though, so I ask if he can do something to loosen it up a bit. At that very moment Korra happens to be walking along and volunteers to help, though not through her ability in bending, but her ability to beat the thing with a sledgehammer she found. Seven good thwacks later and I give it another shot. It still takes a bit of effort, but after a couple minutes of a constant, high-speed stream of wind upon it, the fan finally jolts into action, and the electrical current from the battery immediately takes over.

Relieved, I release my airbending and finally relax my muscles, wiping the sweat off my forehead with a loose, yellow sleeve. I catch Korra in the corner of my eye, still here. "Were you… watching?" I ask, catching my breath.

"Yeah!" She enthusiastically replies. "D'you think you could teach me that? That stream thing I mean. It seemed simple enough, and I can do pretty much the same with water already!"

"Teach you…? You mean… right now?" I stammer, striving to come up with an excuse to get out of the job. "Um…well… can' it wait until after lunch? I'm really hungry…"

I can sense a dejected sigh from her being held in. "I guess. Hope you like mulligan stew, 'cause it's all we're having… It's all we ever have down here." She mumbles. _It could be roadkill for all I care, as long as it burns time._

As it turns out, it very well **could** be roadkill we're eating, though Gommu swears he nabbed it from a restaurant. Asami downright refuses to touch the brown goop. The rest of us stomach through it in our own, unique ways, Mako and Korra grinning and bearing it, Bolin cracking jokes as he eats, and I just telling myself I'm lucky to have food on my plate at all. Korra wanting to get the meal over with as quick as possible, she's the first to finish a bowl, and soon as she does, her eyes instantly fixate on me. It's no mystery why – she's as giddy as a bright-eyed schoolgirl to resume her airbending training. Eventually, the failing attempt at covert attention gets to be too much of a bother, and I just come out and say it. "I know." I groan.

"Know what?" Mako, oblivious, asks before another bite of watery stew.

I don't bother answering – Korra knows. She immediately turns her eyes away, feigning ignorance, but it's a bad feign, like a child who just stole cookies. She knows it's a shoddy attempt at least, throwing her arms into the air and shouting "Fine! I'll stop bothering you. But you **did** say we'd practice after lunch!"

"I said-" I begin to correct her, but retreat into an exhausted gargle of swallowed stew. "Do we… absolutely have to?'

She looks like she can't believe what she's hearing. "Yes! Of course we do!" She bursts. I visibly recoil, and that causes her to calm a bit. "Erm… Sorry." She mumbles. "I just don't understand why you are so against it. I mean… I know you hate bending. Trust me, I got that – I know. But I have no idea **why**, and that just… I guess it leaves me frustrated, okay?" She pauses, but it is tense, the only noise a quiet slurp of stew from Bolin. "I think it'd do us both good if you just came out and told us what exactly made you hate bending so much."

"I already told you." I cut in, quiet yet sharp. "Yes, I do hate it, but… even more… I am afraid of it." I am quiet, controlling my breath and collecting my thoughts, my memories. _I should tell her. I should let her know what could happen to her._ "How old were you when you first discovered your waterbending, Korra?"

She blanks out for a moment, the question unexpected. "Uh… like um… four, I think? I was really young."

"And what did you think of it?"

" 'What did I think of it'? Erm… well… I thought it was really cool, I guess."

_I thought so. _"So did I. I was eight, so I was a bit older, but I felt the exact same way. I loved it. I thought it was the neatest thing in the world, and I trained it nearly every day. But then…" I take a deep breath, trying to stop the tears I know will come, but it's a futile effort.

"Is this when…?" Mako interrupts, though careful of his choice of words, "when your mother…?"

"Yes." I say in a single, quick exhalation of breath. "She was killed by a bender."

"And that's when you decided never to use your bending again." Korra concludes.

"I'm sorry." Says Mako again, solemnly. "I understand how you feel."

I try not to cut him off immediately. "I know you mean well, but… but you really don'…"

"No! I…" He rethinks his sentence for a second. "Look, I know I'm kind of an asshole towards you…" _Little more than 'kind of'…_ "but I'm not just saying it, Ming – I really do! Bolin and I – our parents were killed by a bender too, but that doesn't mean **we're** to blame! Just because it was a firebender who killed them doesn't mean I can't firebend anymo-"

"Mako, please – just stop!" I yell, bringing the scene to a hush. "I'm sorry, but… our situations are not the same. The bender who killed my mother… it wasn' a random thug or a hitman or some great villain, it…" I clench my teeth tight, dreading the memories that will flood in with the words, "it was me."

Everyone gasps, horrified. "Y-You!?" Korra exclaims. "But… how? Why?"

"My mother was a non-bender," I explain, sniffling, "and she hated my bending. "She was horribly afraid of it, and she wanted me to never use it. Though of course, back then I wanted nothing else but **to** use it, so… there was a lot of animosity between us over the years. Eventually, it… One night, we had a heated argument." The scene replays in my mind, every sight, every sound and every feeling remembered down to the last detail.

_"Ming, this has gone too far!"_ My mother yelled, indignant.

_"So what if it has!?" _I yelled back, just as angry._ "You just don' understand! You'll __**never**__ understand, because you're not one of us!"_

The word brought tears to her eyes, but they were furious tears. _"This is all that boy Guin's fault! __**He**__ did this to you!"_

I couldn't hold back any longer. _"ENOUGH!"_

I return to the present, my painful reverie into the past ended. "I… I lost control." I continue. "I completely lost control, and… and I killed her. My airbending killed her."

The area around is silent for a long, grave moment, a moment in which the information is simply too much for a mind to swallow at once, until eventually Korra quietly says the only thing she can. "I'm… so sorry, Ming." She rubs her eyes for a second and takes in a deep breath. "I'll understand entirely now if you don't want to teach me airbending."

_I don', but… _I take a second to wipe clean my eyes as well. "Well, now you know. Now you know what can happen when you learn an art as dangerous as bending. So…" I pause a moment, praying I don't regret this decision, "if you still want to learn, knowing it could harm, or even destroy the people closest to you, then… I'll do it. I'll teach you. And I won' complain, I promise."

It feels good to get that off my chest, but Korra is still unsure. "But what if… what if **I** have trouble controlling it as well?" She asks.

"Then you'll understand airbending." I answer. "This isn' like fire or earth: the goal isn't complete dominance. With airbending, the air is in control of you just as much as you are in control of the air." I stand up with my bowl, more than ready to leave this thick atmosphere. "Think on that. That's your first lesson."

* * *

Though I feared it so much, now that I've opened up to them a little, I find, to my surprise, that I feel much better. Going for a walk around the village to help digest the goopy lunch, my steps have become lighter, my heart has grown happier, and there is even at times a smile upon my face. I return to helping out the villagers in whatever way I can, though airbending isn't as useful for day-to-day tasks as the other three, so there actually isn't much I can do. I end up dragged into cleaning dishes by a gaggle of middle-aged ladies. One of them has rudimentary skill in firebending, which she uses to heat a large tub of water, while the other four of us are left to scrub. They're a gossipy bunch, and they keep dragging me into their conversations, something I really wish they'd stop trying to do. "You must be terrified Amon'll get to you, huh?" One asks as I'm struggling to get caked-on oatmeal off of a bowl.

I tell the truth as I continue to scratch at the dried gunk. "Not really."

All three of them gasp. "But you're one of the last airbenders in the world! Surely he's got his eye on you!" Another exclaims.

"He's got his eye on **all** benders." I reply, just as I manage to get the bowl clean, putting it into the heated tub with the others. "Besides, it… what does it matter anyway? If he took away my bending I'd just be a non-bender. And well… there's nothing wrong with that, right?"

The eldest of the three, reaching into her early fifties, gives a pleased smile. "That's a very kind way of thinking, young lady." She says, reaching over to put a hand, damp and wrinkled from cleaning dishes, on my forearm. "But don't let anyone tell you what you have isn't special, or that you aren't someone worth protecting, okay?"

"But it's…" I protest, "you don' think it's unfair?"

"Now… don't let those Equalists put the wrong idea in your head. Most of us non-benders don't feel the least bit envious. It's just life, honey." She takes her hand away. "It's just how we were born. Kinda like… well now don't take this the wrong way, but it's just like some people are tall and some people are short. You can't help it, so why bother?"

I lower my head in defeat. "You have no idea how jealous I am of tall people." The women all have a laugh at that.

Their laughter is cut short however, by Korra, barging into the washroom. "There you are!" She exclaims. I reflexively hunch my shoulders in some primal attempt to hide myself, but it's no use. "I can't figure this out so just come out here and show me how to airbend already!"

"B-But-"

"No buts!" She grabs me by the back of my tunic. I try to struggle, but my scant strength is easily overpowered by her physical ability, and I am dragged away, the women waving entertained farewells. Once we come out into the open she releases me from her hold and gives me a piece of her mind. "Let's just practice normally, alright? I'm tired of the stupid riddles already!"

"It… wasn' supposed to be a riddle…" I squeak. "Airbending is about freedom, Korra."

"Yeah, yeah. Tenzin said the same thing. I still don't get what that means."

"It means you can' begin by trying to control the air into doing exactly what you want it to do."

"Well then how can I bend it?" She grumbles.

"You have to start by guiding it into doing what **it **wants to do." I explain.

"And how am I supposed to know what that is?"

_It's… not that hard, Korra…_ "Feel. This is what I was trying to show you back on the island. You have to feel. Here, we'll um…" I quickly think of the best way to ease her into this. "We'll find somewhere windy."

"Not much of that underground…"

_No, there isn'… Wait! Except for-_ "The ventilation fan I helped start earlier. Let's go there."

We make our way through the village in an awkward silence, neither of us feeling daring enough to speak to the other just yet. As we near the place, the whirring hum of the fan dominates most of the noise in the area. "Okay, so here it's obvious, right?" I have to speak loudly to be heard, though my loud voice still isn't all that much.

"Yeah, okay. So the air is going into the shaft there, right?"

"Right." I come closer to the fan, standing directly in the current. "So if I try to airbend against the wind…" I summon the energy needed and, taking a large step forward while thrusting both palms before me, bend the air to defy the forces at work. I continue this for a few seconds before releasing and letting the air return to its will. "It's… not easy…" I finish, out of breath, "and it takes a lot of energy. But," I turn around, this time with my back to the wind, "if I work with the flow," I reach behind me with a hand, grab a mass of the oncoming wind and direct it out of the current in a gentle curve, "it's much easier." My brief lesson over, I move out of the airflow. "Does that make sense?

The look on her face tells me it does. "Yeah, I get how it's **supposed** to work, I just can't do it."

I think for a moment. "You said Tenzin showed you the forms… or whatever?"

"He did, but… I thought you said I didn't need them?"

"Well it can' hurt, I suppose. That's how you mastered earth and fire, right?" She nods. "So if it helps you learn it, then that's fine. But I guess try and do what I just did. Stand how I did, maybe a little farther back so it isn' so strong, and try to direct some of the air away."

"Sure. Stay with me though, in case I can't do it."

She can't. She tries and tries again, using every movement and positioning she can think of until eventually, even with my help along the way, the combined force of her repeated failures and tired muscles makes her completely fed up with it all. Thankfully, she doesn't take it out on me, instead storming off fuming. I have the rest of the day to do with as I please, a luxury I greatly appreciate.

* * *

The next day, however, is a different story. Mako wants to start doing reconnaissance, and since I'm the former Equalist in the party, my role is a vital one, namely making sure whomever we send out isn't immediately uncovered. Since neither Bolin nor I fit either of the uniforms we snagged from the abandoned base, and Korra has to work on her training, Mako and Asami are our designated spies. "Mako…" Bolin says with faux tears in his eyes, "if they capture you and Amon takes away your bending… well… I'll let you have half of mine."

Mako breaks into a snicker and play-punches his brother's shoulder. "You can keep it, thanks." Turning to me, he then asks "So gimme the run-down, Ming. What do I need to know?"

I think through my head of all the passwords and codes we used over the months. _A lot of those are probably outdated by now…_ "Well… you'll have to lose the scarf, for starters."

He groans disapproval. "What? No way, you guys wo- erm… **they** wear scarves with the uniform, don't they?"

"Dark brown ones. Yours is cherry red."

"Oh, it'll be fine. I'm sure."

I sigh. "Fine… it's your bending, not mine." _What's it mean to him anyway? _Fifteen minutes later and I've given Mako and Asami all the information I can think of that they'd need to know. "And when in doubt, 'I lost my orders.' "

"Gotcha. We're not going to do too much though, I think. Play it safe. We'll be back before dusk." The two of them fasten their helmets and head out, Bolin and some of the villagers wishing them luck.

"You know…" Bolin begins, after his brother and Asami are out of sight, "I wonder if it even **is** possible to give someone bending."

My ears perk up. "Say… what now?" I clarify.

"Well- erm… you know, like the opposite of what Avatar Aang could do. If he could take it away, why couldn't someone give it as well?"

"You're thinking of a way to counter Amon, right?"

"Ah! Well, yeah I suppose that would be really nice, but actually I was just wondering. Thinking out loud. I uh… guess I do that a lot." He blushes. I can feel some of the shyness in his words transfer into my emotions.

"I-It probably wouldn' be that great…" I stammer. "I mean… everyone would always be bothering you for it a-and people would just use you to get to your power and… you know you wouldn' be able to-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I wasn't **that** serious about it!" Bolin interrupts. "Man… you must really hate attention." He laughs. Now I'm fully blushing, incredibly embarrassed. I hug my knees, pulling myself into a defensive ball. My cheeks must be ruby red; I can't even get a word out I'm so flustered. He sees it, and puts an hand on my shoulder, pulling me in. "Aww, c'mon… Don't be embarrassed, little lady! You know I'm just playing with you." _I know…_ But that's not why I stay still. It's because his presence is consoling. A strong arm around me, protecting me – I hadn't realized in these past few days just how much I've missed that specific comfort. But of course he doesn't know this. Just as soon as the hand touched my shoulder it is removed, and Bolin leaves to go elsewhere. I take a deep breath once he is gone. _Ming, quit it. Quit getting all flustered over him. You're still… you're still with Taak, and that's not going to change. Things __**will**__ work out in the end. Just wait and see…_ I have to tell myself this. I have to keep believing in him, even when he doesn't, because I swore to him and he swore to me that we'd be each other's lifelines. _I have to save him. Yes… that's exactly what I have to do._

On our fourth day living in this village of refugees, Korra can't stand being caged up here anymore with nothing but repeated training failures and Bolin's jokes to keep her company. I can't blame her – it's bugging me too. One would think I'd be used to being underground for long periods of time by now, but I'm not; the lack of a full sky over my head is really starting to get to me. So in the afternoon she goes on reconnaissance with Mako. It's easy to see the tension in Asami when she learns they left. _They didn't even tell her they were going._ _I hope she hasn't given up on him…_

When they do return, about two hours later as Bolin and I are playing with Pabu, his pet fire ferret, Asami is quick to pounce. "You two were gone a while." She sneers.

"We were doing reconnaissance." Mako replies, irritation in his voice.

"Fine. Whatever." Asami scoffs.

"The United Forces will be here tomorrow morning; we **have** to be on top of our game."

"I suppose it is all just a game to you…"

The uneasy tension is dispelled as Gommu appears like a magician to announce that dinner is ready. Mulligan stew once again, which only increases Asami's unpleasant mood. Part of me wants to console her, but I wouldn't know how to, and would probably end up doing more harm than help. So I leave her alone. It's what I'd want, anyway.

That night we all have trouble sleeping, Korra especially. She chooses not to stay in the rock hut, instead lying down with Naga outside. None of us pay it any mind until Mako decides to follow after her. At that very moment, as he passes under the hanging rags of our makeshift igloo, I can see it in Asami's eyes – try as she did to keep what they had together, it's over now.

When I finally do drift off into dream, it is a nightmare I find myself in. I am in a long, corridor, with no end in either direction but thick darkness. As I contemplate which direction I should go, the walls begin to shift, like malleable gelatin being molded into a shape. They become faces, featureless at first, but as they grow clearer, I recognize who they belong to. They are all the faces of the ghosts of my past, of those I once knew but no longer exist in this world. My mother, Guin the boy I loved, and many others, they all look upon me with cold, colorless eyes. "We are the dead." They slowly chant as one, as the walls grow closer together. "One will join us soon. One you cared for."

" 'One will'…?" My ethereal dream self echoes. "Who?" The faces say nothing, but move in even closer, until I can smell their horrible dead breath upon mine. I am terrified to approach closer, but I have to know whom they speak of. "Who!?" I repeat. All the face again begin to morph. Their hair all becomes similar, their facial features become more uniform, and the moment, the very instant I see it, I awaken in a shriek, covered in a fearful sweat, gasping for air.

The noise drags Mako back to the realm of the conscious as well, though his awakening is slow and drowsy, greatly contrasting to mine. "Ngh…You all right?" He mumbles. I've no thoughts to give, in this state of fear, to his return to the hut some time while I was asleep.

"Y-yeah…" I gasp. "I'm fine."

That's good enough for him, as he instantly falls back to sleep. Slowly, I try to do the same, but there is little hope of that happening; my mind is still racing. _That face…_ I can still remember the final face that shook me out of the dream. The fallen, unkempt brown hair, the dark complexion, the masculine features, and the clothes of the Northern Water Tribe… _It was Taak._


	16. Retaliation

His name is General Iroh, and he is the Commander of the United Forces' First Division. He is also the son of the current Fire Lord, and as such is Crown Prince, heir to the throne should his mother prematurely resign as his grandfather, Zuko, did, or should she pass away. He is named after his great-granduncle, a man unique among firebenders of the time in that he was very kind, spiritual, and calm. While the first two I am unsure of, this second Iroh is known to also be a calm, rational thinker in battle. Considering the war-zone he is plunging himself and his fleet into, he shall certainly need that trait. As is to be expected of one so praised and decorated with titles and birthrights, he is a very popular man. At age twenty-nine, the youngest of all leaders of the United Forces, he's somewhat of a heartthrob for the girls. When I was shown a photograph of the man a month or so ago, I also must admit I found him to be a dashingly handsome man, but unlike the other girls my age in the Equalists, I didn't think much of him, and it wasn't even because I already had a dashingly handsome young man of my own already; there was just something about him that put a spark of anger in me. Perhaps if, after this great battle on the horizon is over with, I should see him again, I will think differently. I know I have changed in these past few days, but just how much I have yet to calculate.

* * *

The idea that I should receive any more sleep this night is a foolish one. Quietly, so as not to wake anyone else again, I slip out from under my rag-blanket and leave the igloo, hoping the brisk chill of the outside air will help drive the dream's images from my mind, but it does not. I walk in circles throughout the village, but still the deathly image of my cold lover haunts the shadows of my vision. The open panels above the dusty rooftops reveal that dawn will arrive within the hour, so I give up on sleep. Instead of waiting for the others to awaken as well, I leave the shantytown, into the tunnel system, retracing backwards the path I took to lead us to our newfound home. When that path ends, and I come upon the end of the large sewer tunnel looking over the bay, I find I was not the only one with the idea to come here.

"Korra?" I speak softly, though it still startles her terribly.

"Ming!" She exclaims. "Son of a…! You scared the life outta me!" I can't help but let escape a tiny laugh. "How'd you sneak up on me like that?"

"Part of being an airbender, I guess." My poor choice of words dawns on me a moment too late. "Erm… sorry. You'll get it eventually, I swear."

"No, it's fine, it's- you don't need to be sorry." She speedily changes the subject. "So… you couldn't sleep either, huh?"

I walk forward to the pipe's end, and sit down on a dry spot of the concrete, looking out over the bay. It's incredibly foggy; I can only barely make out Air Temple Island through the thick mist. "…Nightmare." I simply say, though with hesitation.

"You're not the only one." Korra sighs, in a demeanor that suggests this has been going on for some time. "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours."

I groan. "Thanks, but…"

"Hey, no I'm serious. It helps if you tell someone about it." She insists.

I'm too tired to put up resistance, so I give in and tell her what I remember. Of the darkness, of the faces of the dead, and of the blurry image of Taak's soon to join them. "It's just a stupid dream, but it's got me so worried now! I mean… I've been worried sick since I left the Equalists, but now… now I'm afraid, terrified even of what might happen!"

Korra's reaction is not what I had expected. I was ready for an 'Aw, don't sweat it – It's just a dream.' expression, but she is the opposite, deep in apprehensive thought. "You don't think…" She begins. "You don't think it was a message from the spirits, do you?"

"What!?" I squeak, totally unprepared for that response. "Y-You're not serious, right?"

"I'm deadly serious, Ming."

"But…! I thought you didn' believe in that stuff…? You don', right!?"

She sighs again. "Just because I'm terrible at dealing with them doesn't mean I don't believe in them. It's the same reason I can't airbend… or so Tenzin told me. He said airbending is the most spiritual of the bending arts, and you're an airbender, so if they're gonna contact anyone it'd be you."

I don't think she realizes this is only making me worry even more. I am actually more like her, keeping away from the spiritual mumbo-jumbo whenever I can, but I will easily admit that I don't know all that much about how my own art works. _But if what she says is true, then… No! No, even if it is, then that doesn't mean it'll become real! I can still keep it from happening! _Briefly bolstered by that thought, I switch the subject of conversation away. "Okay, you have to tell me now." I say to Korra.

"Tell you what?" She asks, confused.

"Your nightmare."

"Oh… right. Well… it was the same one I've had for months. I'm supposed to be fighting Amon, but I freeze. I don't know whether it's out of fear or what, but I just can't move. And then… he takes my bending away, and he leaves me. And then all the other Avatars, Aang and Roku and Kyoshi and everyone – they're looking down at me, and they've all got such a look of disappointment on their faces… it just kills me to have them see me like that." A quiet pause is shared between us. "Sometimes I just feel like such a failure. I mean look:" she throws a hand out to the bay, at Air Temple Island, "if I'm the Avatar, I'm supposed to be able to stop things like… like this! If there were a real Avatar here this wouldn't be happening! This is-" She stops herself. "I'm sorry. I said I'd tell you my dream and then I start ranting to you instead."

"It's... fine. It's not your fault." I say quietly.

"Yeah, I know…" She sighs a third time, then smiles. "It's all Aang's fault. I don't think anyone could follow him."

That raises in me a question I've thought for the past several days to ask her but never had the chance to until now. "Korra… do you really believe in the whole reincarnation thing?"

"Say what!? Of course I do!" She exclaims in an offended tone. "How could I not? I'm the freakin' Avatar!"

"So you really believe you were once Aang? And all the others before him?"

"Well… we're not the same person – obviously I'm not Tenzin's dad, but… I dunno, I guess we have the same soul? I mean I've seen things from Aang's memories before, so how could we not be connected like that?"_I guess… I just don' like the idea._ Our chat ends there, Korra heading back to the village to wake and ready the others. I volunteer to stay here and keep a lookout for the United Forces, should they arrive earlier than expected.

* * *

After an hour of silence watching the dawn, Korra returns with the others, all of them ready for what will undoubtedly be a tumultuous day. I wish I could say the same about myself, but I'm shaking in my boots._ Why couldn' Tenzin have just taken me with him…? _Along a rickety metal staircase we ascend the great wall from which the sewer tunnel emerges out from, the barrier separating the bay from the metropolis. At the top Mako pauses for a moment to make sure we're not spotted. "Okay, the coast is clear. Let's move." From there we head to the nearest pier, where we can watch for the United Forces' arrival. It's eerie just how quiet the city is. The usual white noise of dissonant echoes between the tall buildings is vanished replaced with a silence, far more chilling than the winter air which fills the void.

With our spot claimed, we stake out and watch. A large pipe travelling along the pier blocks any prying eyes in the city from spotting us, but still I am full of worry. _It may feel safe, but I know Amon is watching, waiting. _Hoping it will quell my fears, I share them with the others. "Don't be careless." I say admonishingly. "Amon has a trap ready for every occasion." _I just wish I knew what it was this time…_

"Don't worry!" Bolin cheers, pulling his spyglass away from his eye for a moment. "Whatever he has planned, the United Forces can take care of it."

"Still, she's right, Bolin." Korra adds. "When they arrive, we need to be ready to help them in any way possible."

"They're here!" Mako exclaims.

_Well that didn' take long… _Through the dense fog I can just barely make them out. Nine battleships I count, all with vast arrays of cannons and firepower, the fleet is far more impressive than I had expected them to be. I knew technology has been progressing by leaps and bounds in this day and age, but still I wasn't expecting vessels of this magnitude. Their hulls are as large as fields, and their masts stand like as tall as towers, obelisks in the mist. _Okay… Be ready, Ming. You can do this. Maybe Bolin's right. Maybe the fleet won' even break a sweat here._ Though I reassure myself again and again, something still doesn't feel right.

Then it hits me - Korra as well. "Wait a second…" Korra mutters as I let out an audible gasp. We exchange glances, then look to the skies. "Where are the Equalist airships?"

Mako grabs the spyglass from Bolin and hurries to the edge of the pier overlooking the city. "I don't see any mecha-tanks either…" He observes, concerned.

Then, an explosion! Against the steel hull of a United Forces battleship a great plume of water gushes into the air. "They've got mines in the water!" Asami cries out. Another series of explosions, one after another.

Korra, wasting not a second, knows that is her cue to move, to get out there and help the fleet. Diving off the edge of the pier, she bends a spiral pillar of ocean water to catch her as she plunges in and speeds off, a torpedo through the sea. The depth charges continue to go off, incapacitating two of the twelve ships, but then, far off behind the downtown skyscrapers, comes another noise. An angry hum, like that of a swarm of bees, I am the first to hear it.

"Ming?" Asami, noticing my attention diverted away from the ships, calls out.

I shush her quietly, then move to the large pipe, jumping atop it on a puff of airbending to get a better earful of the noise. "Listen! Do you hear it?"

It takes them a moment, but as the humming becomes louder, more vibrant, they too make out the sound. "What now…?" Mako gasps, then looks through the spyglass to see if he can reveal the sound's origin. It only takes a moment, as they come into view in seconds.

"Planes!?" I exclaim, shocked. Out from between the highest towers of Republic City and out towards the injured fleet, swoop two squadrons of biplanes, like hawks descending upon prey.

"Is that what those… those things are called?" Asks Mako, frightened.

Bolin is even more horrified than his brother. "Where does Hiroshi find the time to keep inventing horrible new machines!?"

_Seriously! I never once heard about this! This must've been Amon's doing; he didn' trust me from day one, so that's why he kept so much from me._ _But really, __**planes**__!? _I take another look at the aircraft. They sport two propellers, one on the end of each wing, and in the center is emblazoned the signature red and black symbol of the Equalists.

"Ming, this is your time to shine!" Mako exclaims, recomposed after the initial shock of seeing the airplanes.

"M-Me!?" I stutter.

"You're an airbender; you can fly, can't you?"

"What!? No, I can' fly! Who… who told you that!?" In truth I've always wished I **could** fly, but I never figured it out, if it even is possible without a glider like the Air Nomads used.

Mako looks displeased with the news, turning his gaze back to the battle. The planes have begun strafing the battleships, dropping bombs onto their decks and torpedoes into the water to pierce their hulls. _But I __**should**__ do something… With the air under their control the Equalists have this battle won before it's even started! I just…_ _I'm so scared…_ Another two battleships are out of commission. Three have already begun to sink. _I-I can't fight this! What hope do I have against this!? _As the planes turn around for another fly-by, the remaining two ships still functional finally begin to put up a fight. Firebenders ignite the cannons, large rock discs are flung out by earthbenders, and waterbenders continue to keep the depth charges from doing any more damage. Then, out from the ocean into the middle of the fray, on a great spiral cyclone of water Korra rises, and begins to orchestrate her counterattack. A stalagmite of ice erupts from the ocean to slice an airplane in two. _See!? __**She**__'s fighting back, so why aren't you!?_ A second plane crashes into her spiral, knocking her back into the icy water.

"Korra!" We all exclaim in unison. That was the trigger I needed to move. "I'll get her!" I proclaim in a brief, much needed burst of heroism. "You all get back to the village! We'll meet you there!"

"Are you sure?" Asami shouts. I'm not, but my body is already moving, bounding down the metal staircase. When I reach the bottom, closer to the bay's edge, I get a running start, then skate off onto the surface of the water. The waves have become rough from the battle in the distance; it takes a bit of skillful maneuvering and great concentration to keep atop them and not fall under. I look ahead for just a moment to see only one battleship still firing at the planes. _This isn' good… I have to be quick!_

Faster I glide, until I am in the midst of the failing fleet. "Korra!" I shout, though the thought of my voice piercing through all the noise is laughable. I can't find her, but I do find others, men and women of the fleet struggling to stay alive. I circle around twice, thinking of how I can help them, when I spot one underwater in waterbender attire, running out of air. Knowing he can help more people than I can, I throw into the ocean a great bubble of air, praying it reaches him in time.

It does, and stays in the ocean just long enough for him to catch his breath and quickly return to the surface. "Thank you! I owe you my life!" He shouts through frantic coughs of seawater as I circle around him, unable to stop else I fall into the ocean.

"There's no time! Do you see that big drainage pipe over there? By the largest pier?" I shout. He squints for a moment, then shouts back that he does. "Gather as many survivors as you can and bring them there!"

He doesn't question my instructions, but begins doing just as I asked. I leave him to his work, then take one last sweep around the dying battleships to see if I can spot Korra, but no luck. With a worried heart I leave the quickly quieting battlefield.

When I reach the pipe, the battle has ended, and I am entirely out of breath. I lie there for a time, regaining my strength, hoping Korra shows up. However, it is not her who first approaches, but the waterbender I helped save, along with about eight others he has rescued and then escorted through the ocean, just as Korra did with us during our flight from Air Temple Island days ago. So as no one will spot our escape party, I usher everyone further into the tunnel, away from the eyes of any air surveillance from Amon. "There are a few more groups on the way." The waterbender tells me. "I gathered all the waterbenders I could find and we're all out there looking for survivors, though it's a gruesome mess out there." I can tell that just from looking at the state of those he has saved. Most, if not all, are injured, a couple of whom can't even walk and need to be carried. "We all owe it to you though, miss." He says with a smile. "If it wasn' for you picking me out, I don't know if any of us would've made it."

"I… erm… thank you." I stammer, embarrassed at such a compliment.

"W-Wait, are you really an airbender?" One of those saved asks, shocked at what the waterbender has said and now seeing my clothing.

"Um…" _I'm so tired of answering this..._ "that's not important right now. We have to get you all to be treated."

"She's right." A woman in earthbender greens agrees. "But where? Amon has the entire city under his control, doesn't he?"

I answer. "There's a shantytown in the tunnels we've been hiding in since the invasion. I'll take you there. The Avatar is with us as well." I add that last part in an attempt to give them some hope. It works on a few of them. _I hope I'm telling the truth__…_ I turn to the waterbender. "I'll be back to lead anyone else you find. Just stay here until then. I'll try to hurry."

"Thank you, again." He smiles. "Oh, and my name is Kahan!"

I faintly return the smile. "Ming. Ming Ku-Sim."

Thankfully, when I and those I am escorting reach the village, I find Korra did make it back all right, along with the others, and with them is the commander himself, General Iroh. He's got a vicious burn on his shoulder which Korra is helping to heal. Apparently they were all just as worried about me as I was with Korra. I try to apologize but my voice merely comes out as tiny mouse squeaks. "Well if she helped save the lives of my crew, then I'm more than glad she did what she did." Says Iroh, with the proud smile of captain. His voice doesn't fit his age, he sounds much younger than he is.

"There are more coming." I say, quick and nervous. "W-Which reminds me, I need to go back to guide the rest here."

"I'll do that, Ming." Says Asami. "You're probably pooped after all that airbending, so let us take care of it." I give her soft thanks, then sit down on the cold floor, relieved to be off my feet.

After a small moment of silence, Iroh speaks again. "This is bad. This is really bad." He laments. "I was ready for the mecha-tanks, but not these new high-speed aircraft."

"I know…" Says Korra, irritated. "Every time we think we have an advantage, Amon outsmarts us."

"No matter what our plan is, he always has a better one." Bolin frowns.

Iroh thinks for a moment. "He **is **winning so far, but we're not out of the fight yet."

That turns Bolin's frown one-hundred-eighty degrees around. "I like this man's confidence!" He exclaims, ready to get back into the fight. "So… how are we not out of the fight yet?"

The burn scar having healed as much as it will via Korra's waterbending, Iroh stands up, clutching his arm. "The second wave of reinforcements will be here soon, but I need to warn them. Do you have any way of getting word out to them?"

"I do indeed." Korra says with a proud grin. "I know just the man for the job."

'The man' is Gommu, our resident hobo-mayor. He was, after all, a telegraph operator for many years. "And who is the recipient of this top-secret message?" Gommu asks after we've located him in the village and he has set up his old telegraph equipment he's had stored away down here for ages.

"Her uncle." Iroh says, pointing his head towards me.

"My… what!?" I exclaim.

"Commander Bumi, second commander of the United Forces. He's your uncle, isn't he?"

"She's not Tenzin's daughter." Korra answers for me.

Iroh grows a look of surprise. "Then how…? Erm… never mind."

"Ready, sir!" Gommu announces.

"Fleet destroyed by Equalist aircraft." Iroh begins. Gommu begins furiously tapping away at the telegraph in Morse Code, the machine responding with beeps. "Retreat to Red Sand Island until my signal. Do not approach city until I give the all-clear."

Half a minute more of beeps and the message is sent. "All done!" Says Gommu, swiveling around in his chair proudly. We wait then for Asami to return with the rest of the soldiers. Many of them wounded, a makeshift medical bay and war room is set up under a large tent. On several mats spread about lie those with the most grievous of injuries.

Later in the day, on a table in the center, Iroh unfurls a large topographical map of Republic City, and gathers us all around it. "Now comes the hard part." He says. "Korra, you'll want to hear what I have to say."

"I'm listening!" She assures him while off healing the wounded.

He rolls his eyes for a split-second, then continues. "We need to ground those aircraft, otherwise Bumi's fleet will never be able to retake the city."

Mako points to an edge of the map, in the back of the city by the mountain where pockets of newly-built suburbs exist. "They flew in from this direction," he points out, "so the airfield must be somewhere on this mountain range.

"That's good thinking. We'll start by scanning that area and seeing what we can find. Everybody get ready – we leave at dawn." He turns his head around. "Korra, you get that?"

"I said I was listening!" More rolled eyes.

Once the wounded are patched up and resting, everyone leaves the tent to prepare for the day tomorrow. I could see, as Korra was busy healing the soldiers, that something weighed heavily on her soul, and by the look on her face now, she's going to get it off her chest. "Wait." She says suddenly. "I'm sorry, but… I'm not going with you all tomorrow."

Mako raises a pointed eyebrow. "What?"

"Why not?" Asami adds.

"I'm sick and tired of hiding from Amon! It's time I face him." Korra answers, defiant.

"That's… not a good plan." The General intervenes, the voice of reason. _I think I agree with him._ "We need to stick together."

Korra hasn't thrown in the towel just yet. "I'm not waiting for him to hunt me down! My gut's telling me it's time for me to end this, on **my** terms."

"Korra, that's brave and all, but that is not a mission you should be handling alone." Iroh responds admonishingly.

"She won't be." Mako interjects. "I'm going with her." He walks to her side, and the pain in Asami's eyes is almost blinding to see.

Korra tries to stop him. "You don't have to do that, Mako." She says.

"Yes… I do." He insists.

"Hmm…" Iroh mulls it over in his head for a moment, scratching at his finely shaven chin. "Somehow I get the feeling your predecessor said the exact same reckless thing to my grandfather back in their day. And... if I am to follow suit, then... sure. Go ahead. I'll believe your will."

* * *

That night I am as anxious as ever, though I do sleep better than I did the previous night, and thankfully no prophetic nightmares come to haunt me. I even oversleep, Asami having to shake me around a bit to get me to wake up.

"Ming, can I ask a huge favor of you?" She inquires after I'm up and awake enough to give a proper answer.

"Um… sure, I guess?"

"It's going to sound stupid and jealous of me, but… could you follow after Mako and Korra?" Before I can respond, she immediately tries to give her reasoning. "I-I just… I want to make sure they're not-"

"No, it's fine." I respond sharply. "I was thinking the same thing when he offered to go with her. As much as I hate the thought… if anyone should go with her it's me, since… you know…" _Because even if there was much he was keeping hidden from me, I still know Amon better than any of them._

"Yeah, I know." She gives me a loose, thankful hug. "Thank you." The gesture is foreign to me, I merely stand there with my face kept smooshed in her chest. Not because I… you know… because I don't; it's just our height difference, that's all. "Though… do you think you'll be safe without an Equalist uniform like they have?" She asks, after we separate.

I think for a moment. "I'll find something to use as a cloak. And I'm good at being light on my feet and quiet, so… I ought to be fine. If worse comes to shove, I'm even better at running away." _Though it sounds so depressing when I put it like that._

When Mako and Korra are suited up, and everyone is ready for the missions before us, Mako and Bolin take a moment to give each other a brief man-to-man. "Take care of yourself, little bro." Mako says with an older brother's play-punch.

"Heh, I ought to be saying that to you. We got the easy job here."

"Yeah… no kidding."

"And Korra!" Bolin adds. "You be super careful too! Amon is one nasty dude."

"You got that right." She laughs under her breath. "Don't worry though. I'll be fine. If you're going into the mountains though, you should take Naga with you." She gives her polar bear dog a warm embrace. "Take good care of them, girl." Naga whimpers softly in acknowledgement.

Lastly, Mako and Asami share some last words. He apologizes for the way things have turned out, hoping for forgiveness. It takes her a moment, but Asami gives it to him, in the form of a heartfelt kiss on the cheek, before saying goodbye and coming to join Bolin, Iroh and I by Naga. Korra and Mako take their leave then, in the direction of the primary drainage pipe that leads out to the bay overlooking Air Temple Island. The rest wait for their departure, then leave in an opposite direction, further into the heart of the city. "I wish you the best of luck, airbender." Gommu says, a final farewell between us. _I hope I have it too…_

* * *

Shadowing Mako and Korra is child's play for me. For two about to infiltrate the enemy's main base of operations, they aren't being very aware of their surroundings. At least they're moving slowly. So slowly in fact, that I find it would be a better idea to go ahead of them and wait for their arrival on the island. _My way of travel is a lot quicker than hers anyway, and they might notice me if I try to cross the water when they are underneath it._ So I take a different path, a shortcut I know to lead me to the bay just a bit quicker. When I am outside under the sky again, and the water's edge is before me, I can't tell if I've beaten them here or not, but I'm fairly certain I have, so I go ahead and, after taking a spyglass lent to me by Bolin to make sure no ships are on the water who may spot me, begin my airbending to get me across.

I take it as slow as I can without falling it, staying low in my stance and keeping the dark, dusty cloak and hood over me at all times. Always I keep my eyes open and alert to any change in the waters and the skies, but they are still. _It looked the same way to the general when he showed up with his ships, though. I can't be too cautious here…_ It takes me a decent amount of time to reach the shore, and in that time I don't spot anyone emerging from a waterbended bubble onto land, so it is safe to assume I beat them here. Immediately I find a place to conceal myself. Some dense foliage on the island's shore provides a fine hiding spot. I bring the spyglass out again and survey what I can. From here I can't see much of the temple grounds, but I am able to see the tower, and hovering above is Amon's flagship zeppelin itself, a handful of cables dangling down to the ground. _Well, your enemy's here alright, Korra. Now to wait for you to show up and see how you approach this. …Please don't run in blindly. I'd like to have more faith in you than that._

She shows up in due time; I am not waiting too long in the bushes before I see the two of them immediately flatten up against the rock face of the island, putting on the Equalist helmets. And only moments after that, the last cable hanging from the airship is raised, with none other than Amon riding up it. _What's Korra thinking now? Give chase, or lie in wait and ambush him? Hopefully the latter. _Bravely they emerge onto the path up the island to the main plaza. I however, trail from the shadows, darting quietly and cautiously from tree to bush to tree again, keeping my eye fixed on the pair of inconspicuous not-Equalists hoping to walk right in.

That hope is in vain when who should come upon them but the Lieutenant. "What are you two doing here?" He demands of them.

"Uh… we were just transferred." Mako makes up on the fly.

"Well you're getting transferred again. Amon wants extra security at the arena today."

"The arena? For what?" Mako asks. _Bad question! You'll give yourself away!_

"The rally. You should've been briefed on this." He sounds skeptical.

"We'll be there, sir!" Korra says brightly. That enthusiasm pleases the Lieutenant enough that he leaves them be. _But now you're not going to be able to just walk in. _They must know this as well, as they divert their course off the tiled road, and return back downhill a ways, going to the less-traveled parts of the island. I continue to follow them, though they are moving at a more brisk pace, and at times it becomes difficult to keep up while remaining unseen and unheard.

I am unknowingly led to a narrow, steep path up the cliff underneath the walls surrounding the tower. When the path ends, they take a quick look around for prying eyes (ironically me), then Korra opens a hidden trapdoor in the wall and the two crawl in. _Bingo!_ Having gained several bug-bites hiding in the foliage, I'm more than happy to get inside, not to mention out of the cold weather. Swiftly I dash up the path and find the hidden door, and upon crawling in…

"Aha!" Korra exclaims. I shriek, caught. Mako and Korra were waiting on the other side. "I thought I saw someone following us. So it was you, huh?"

I frantically sputter out fragments of words "I- erm… well, I… that is-"

"Save it. You can explain it to me later. Just come on, we have to hurry before someone finds out we're here." I breathe a sigh of relief, glad that went better than I feared it would for a moment there. "Let's hide in the attic."

"The… same attic where…?"

"Yeah, the one where we held you. It's the last place I can imagine Amon looking." _I hope they patched up the hole I made in the wall then…_

The tower, thankfully, is as empty as a house of ghosts, and the way up is quick and undisturbed. When we reach the top, however, Mako has a bit of unsettling news for Korra and I, still climbing the stairs up. "Um… guys? We're not alone here…"

Korra and Mako both remove their helmets as I ascend into the attic, and see, inside the jail cell, who else but Tarrlok, former chairman of the United Republics Council. "I don't suppose you're here to rescue me." He says dryly. He is a battered man, his hair disheveled, his clothes torn, and his skin dirty. But more than that, it is his spirit – it seems… broken, almost.

"We had no idea you were even here." Korra insists. "Are there other prisoners on the island?"

"No. I'm the only one." He replies.

Korra's face turns a shade sourer. "And what makes **you** so special?"

Tarrlok answers plainly. "I am Amon's brother." An echoing gasp emanates from the three of us. "Amon is from the Northern Water Tribe. He's a waterbender and a bloodbender, just like I was."


	17. Conflagration

His name is Noatak, but to the world he is known by the name Amon, the fierce, charismatic leader of the Equalists and the founder of the Anti-Bending Revolution. But to me, above all else, he is a liar, and only now do I know the truth behind the ivory mask: he is Noatak, a Northern Water Tribesman, and the greatest bloodbender the world has ever known. Son to the infamous crime lord Yakone, he inherited his advanced bloodbending ability, but in little time, he grew to be far more adept than his father ever was. But where Noatak excelled and reveled in his power, his brother Tarrlok struggled and shied away from using it, much to the violent chagrin of their father. Yakone didn't see them as sons, but merely tools of revenge against the Avatar and his city that destroyed him. Their family deteriorated and became as cold as the frozen lands they lived in, and Noatak saw this all as the result of their bending ability. So one day, when Yakone's abuse became too much, he attacked his father and left, never to return. Decades later, the brothers both are in Republic City, the city that ruined their family, and each strives to seize control of it, Tarrlok through diplomacy and law, and Noatak through force and fear. The former has failed, but whether or not the latter shall succeed shall soon be known.

* * *

"And… that's the story between us." Tarrlok says, finishing his melancholy tale. The cold attic is silent, but my emotions are not. I am seething with anger, a bottle corked tight struggling not to burst open.

Mako sees my frustration. "Ming…?" He says. "Are you alright?"

"No, I'm not…" I growl, nearly biting my tongue. "I'm furious! I… I trusted him!" I exclaim.

Tarrlok lifts his head a bit to see me. " 'Ming'?" He repeats. "You are… I know you. You are the Equalist from my gala… right?"

"Yes… that was me." I fume.

"So the reports were true… you **are** an airbender."

I raise my voice. "I am, and… and Amon even knew it and still he let me stay with him!" Tears begin to stream freely down my cheek. "I thought he trusted me… I trusted him! More than anyone I trusted him! He was like… like the father I never had." Broken, I fall to my knees and weep into my hands. Korra leans down on one knee and puts a hand on my shoulder to comfort me.

"I'm… sorry for the things my brother has done to you." Tarrlok apologizes. His voice is flat, defeated, but it is wholly sincere. "All of you. And… and for all the things I have done as well. I thought I was better than my father, but his ghost still shaped me. I became a soldier of revenge, just like he wanted me to be… and so did my brother. The revolution may be built on a lie, but I truly think Amon believes bending to be the root of all evil in the world."

As my tears slowly begin to dry out, Mako speaks. "How did you figure out Amon was your brother?"

"When he took away my bending, the sensation was… familiar. I later recognized it as my brother's bloodbending grip."

"How on earth does he use bloodbending to take away someone's bending?" Asks Korra, standing up.

"I don't know." Answers Tarrlok. "But then again, I've never encountered a bender as strong as Noatak."

Korra sighs. "I don't see how we beat someone like that…"

"We can't." Mako adds. "Any attack we throw at him he'll redirect with his mind. That's how he's been able to challenge any bender."

"So much for our ambush… If we stay here we're toast."

Taking a deep breath to try and calm my nerves, I interject. "There's another way."

"How?" Asks Mako.

"The same way you defeated me."

He and Korra exchange a quick look. "I… don't think Amon's claustrophobic…"

"Not that…" I grumble. "We out him. We reveal to all his supporters that he is a bender and the revolution will crumble."

"The rally!" Korra suddenly exclaims. "Amon's holding a rally today! I dunno what for… but it'll be the perfect time to show everyone who he really is!"

The three of us have a silent cheer, but the presence of the fourth in the room returns us to solemnity. "Thank you, Tarrlok." Korra says quietly. The former councilman nods to show his gratitude at the gesture. Our gameplan set, Mako begins to take his leave, but Korra stops him. "We can't just leave him here."

"Go." Tarrlok orders. He stands up and makes his way towards the iron bars. "Amon can't know anyone spoke with me. Defeat him, and put an end to this sad story… please."

Conflicted, but determined, we leave him to his desolate cell. On the floor below the attic Korra can't help but let her feelings be known. "I hate this. I just hate this."

"He's right though." I say solemnly. I have no love for Tarrlok, but it does leave a sour taste in my throat to just leave him up there. "Tarrlok has accepted this fate."

"I know, it's just… Forget it. Let's just go."

"Hold on." Mako interrupts. "There is **one** thing we have to take care of." His eyes are directed squarely in my direction. I reflexively shrink back a step at his glare. "It's nothing less than a miracle that you managed to sneak all the way here without getting caught, even with covering up that bright orange and yellow."

"I'm um… thanks… I think?" I stutter. "Is that a compliment?"

"It's a warning." He answers. "You won't be able to sneak into the rally like you did here - they know your face too well."

Korra scratches her scalp. "Well… what should we do?" She looks my way. "You're not just going to head back to the village, are you?"

"No!" I exclaim for a moment, quickly hushing myself. "No, I… I'm going with you. I have to be there, if not to face Amon then to at least help."

Mako sighs. "My point still stands."

We all think for a moment. Korra comes up with the answer. "Here." She says, removing from one side of her bangs the cylindrical blue piece holding it in place. "C'mere for a sec."

"A-Are you sure?" I have to ask, considering what I've been told of Water Tribe customs. She answers by grabbing me by the folds of my cloak and pulling me close, then turning me around and grabbing at my hair. It's grown out enough since I last had it cut that she can gather it and clasp it behind my head in a short ponytail.

"There!" She announces, proudly. "What do you think?"

Mako isn't as pleased. "I still think they'd recognize her." _I agree…_ We take another moment to brainstorm a solution, and it is I this time that one comes to. Grasping the raggedy ends of my cloak, I tear a thick strip off. Wiping off what dirt I can from it, I wrap it around my head, over one eye like a bandage and tying it tight in the back, just below the ponytail. The dirt on my hands I then rub onto my cheeks to try and help disguise my face.

Korra smiles again. "Oooh, there we go! That oughta work!" Mako gives in and reluctantly agrees, and the three of us continue our descent through the tower.

* * *

At the island coast once again, this time with no trouble to speak of, Korra asks us if we're ready to go underwater. Of course, I panic. "W-What!? Why? I-I can get there just fine myself!"

"What, on the surface of the water?" Mako responds. "They'll notice you in a heartbeat. C'mon, you know better than we do the kind of security Amon's going to have around that stadium.

"Yeah, but-!"

"No. We're not taking any chances here." He lays the line down clearly.

Korra agrees with him. "I've done this a million times by now, we'll be fine." She says. "Just follow right behind me and we'll be out before you know it." Whimpering under my breath, I take a big gulp, then try and steel myself for the unavoidable, taking several deep breaths and shaking my limbs. "You ready?"

I fearfully vibrate my head in a small nod, and start to walk behind her and Mako as she begins to bend the ocean water. Higher and higher the surface becomes, until it gets as high as my shoulder and… "No, I can' do it!" I cry out, losing what little composure I had and scrambling madly back to the shore.

Mako groans under his breath, disappointed. "Alright, fine. C'mere." He says, squatting down. "Climb up on my back – I'll carry you through. Just close your eyes again like you did last time."

I'm still frightened, but his kindness compels me to accept the offer, so slowly, hesitantly I step onto his hands and drape my arms over his shoulders, clasping my hands together. Quickly he heaves my small frame up, light luggage to his pro-bending strength, and a tiny part of me suddenly regrets going along with them. I jam my eyes shut as they delve into the water. _Just… keep your eyes closed. Closed tight._

Halfway in between, to break the unnerving silence, the idea manifests in Mako's brain to ask how I came to be so afraid of small spaces.

"Don't ask her that." Korra quips, like a mother scolding a child.

"Oh. Um. Right, sorry." He apologizes.

"It's not…" I begin, taking a deep breath. "Don' bother trying to make any sense of it. Nothing happened; it's just… it's just an irrational fear I have. Didn't Tenzin say that's it's common among airbenders?"

"Probably. Don't worry, I'll get us through quickly." Korra assures me, and she makes good on her word to do so, as we reach the city in what seems like little time. Hopping off Mako's back with words of thanks, I pray that's the last time I ever have to go through that.

"We ended up farther from the arena than I'd hoped." Korra points out. "Looks like we'll have a little bit of a hike."

I let her know that that's a good thing. "I was head of security for the last rally, back when Amon revealed his power to everyone, and even back then when we didn' have much in the way of resources we had the entire area under tight surveillance. I can only imagine what it'll be like this time."

Korra snickers. "Tight surveillance, huh? Funny, because we were still able to get in."

"We **let** you in, Korra." I quip. She mopes about for a bit, her boast failed.

"Well let's hope Amon doesn't have the same plan this time." Warns Mako.

"Even if he does, that's what we're here for." I reply.

As always, Korra's vigor swiftly returns to her. "Right! But if anything, he'll be expecting a fight, not public humiliation. 'Letting us in' could end up being his biggest mistake."

Mako nods in agreement. "Let's hope so. Korra and I will go first; Ming, you wait here until we're out of sight and then start heading over."

"Gotcha. And… good luck, you two." With a pair of thumbs-up they leave, slipping their helmets on and heading off towards the arena. _Finally… I'm alone for a moment. _It doesn't take long, in the solitary silence, for the nagging voice of fear inside my head to whisper, telling me this is my chance, my last chance to run away and forget all of this. It is right, but I throw it away with little effort. _I'm not abandoning Taak. _More powerful than the urge to flee is the image of that nightmare. The features have faded some, turning merely to memories and feelings, but I remember what they meant. _I won't let you die, Taak. Even should you hate me, I will __**not**__ let anything happen to you._

I actually wait a little longer than told to before setting off, just to be on the safe side. Pulling the hood of the cloak over my head, I inhale a great, calming breath of salty seaside air through cold nostrils, then exhale it loudly through the mouth. _What happens happens. Just go, Ming._

As I near the glistening arena of gold, every step seems heavier than the previous. By the time I have gathered into the crowd of non-benders also coming to see the rally, it is like trudging through a thick swamp to reach my destination. In the air hang a trio of airships, and on the ground I count five mecha-tanks guarding the entrance to the arena. Swallowing a lump of apprehension in my throat, I press onward, trying my best not to look nervous, a conspicuous figure.

At the door a small sqaudron of Equalist footsoldiers are looking over everyone as they pass through. When it comes to be my turn, I make the mistake of looking at one for just a second too long, and he notices it, taking a couple steps forward and stopping me. "You there! Girl!" He exclaims.

I freeze for a second, but thankfully do not make the second mistake of turning away. "Y-Yes?" I stutter, fearful that I may have just blown it.

"Please remove your hood if you're to enter." He says. I recognize the voice, but I cannot place it with a face or a name.

"Um… I…"

"Yes?"

"D-Do I have to?" I stutter. "I-I've got bad scars from an earthbender." _Firebender is too cliché. _"I don' want anyone to see them."

Much to my relief, he has a heart, and he doesn't recognize my voice without the Colonial accent everyone in the Equalists knew me with. "Oh, um… Yeah, okay sure, I understand. Go on ahead. Sorry." My frantic heart begins to calm. _I don't need these kinds of scares…_

Inside is far more majestic a sight that I expected. Though I've been in plenty of massive structures before, I am struck with a mote of awe at the level of craftsmanship employed to erect this arena. The raised playing field and the large pool that would have surrounded it have all been removed, replaced with a solitary stage much like that from the first rally. On either side the judges balconies still overlook the center, and above them, circling around the whole of the stadium, the bleachers where the audience would sit climbs high along the outer walls, until it meets with the great, green glass dome that lets in the light of the sky. A hole from when Amon first attacked the arena is still present, no one able to repair it since. In addition to the eerie majesty of the scene, I am also struck at just how many supporters Amon has managed to obtain. The entire stadium is packed full, something I wouldn't have thought possible when last I was an Equalist.

Being so tiny, it is easy for me to worm my way through the crowd in the center, though I can't see a thing above everyone's heads until I finally manage to make it to the very front. The stage is vacant so far, instead a great propaganda poster of Amon with Equalist warships behind him hanging. I can't help but notice he's found someone better than he had before to paint it.

I stand in anxious silence for a small time, waiting, worrying, and sometimes wishing I hadn't come here at all. After about ten minutes of that, steam begins to hiss from the stage, and the crowd goes silent for a moment in a gasp, then erupts into a pious cheer. Then, from the ominous white cloud rises Amon, his head lowered, his stance fierce. Behind him is the Lieutenant, and the rest of his top officers. I look for a build that looks like Taak, but in their fully concealing uniforms I can't be sure.

Amon raises his hand to the sky. "Thank you all for joining me on this historic occasion!" He cries out. The roar from the crowd is deafening. He then briefly tells his story once again. "When I was a boy, a firebender struck down my entire family and left me scarred. It was that tragic event that began my quest to equalize the world!"

No sooner does the breath leave his body before a voice cries out into the energetic air. "That's a lie, Amon!" Atop one of the judges balconies stand two figures in Equalist uniform. I know who they are of course, and as Korra and Mako remove their helmets, now the whole stadium does too. "Or should I call you 'Noatak'?" _Already, Korra? Ergh… waiting really __**isn't**__ your strong suit, is it? You could've held on a bit for the opportune moment._ The crowd bursts into gasps and gossip, fearful voices all around.

Amon soothes them. "Everyone, calm down. We have nothing to fear from the Avatar. Let's hear what she has to say." Something about his voice, the certainty with which he speaks, worries me. _He's way too calm. Shouldn't he be worried?_

"Amon has been lying to you!" Korra proclaims. "The spirits didn't give him the power to take people's bending away; he uses bloodbending to do it! Amon is a waterbender!"

"You're desperate, Avatar." Amon sneers. "Making up stories about me is a pathetic last resort."

Korra hasn't given up yet. "His family wasn't killed by a firebender – his father was Yakone, the infamous crime lord of Republic City, and his brother is Councilman Tarrlok!" The masses' fervor is growing. _I think_ _some are actually starting to believe her!_ I glance on stage. Even the Lieutenant is uneasy; he's taken a few steps away from Amon.

"An amusing tale." Amon laughs. "But I will show you the truth, so it may be proven to be nothing more than the fantasies of an Avatar's overactive imagination." He throws back his hood, and reaches for the strings of his mask, tied at the back of his head. I emit an audible gasp. _Is he going to… No way!_ Slowly, carefully, filling every onlooker with anticipation, the mask is removed, and underneath is a sight of horror.

Amon has only half a face. From one side of his forehead to the opposite side of his jaw runs a network of gruesome pink burn scars. Half of his lip is missing, revealing clenched teeth, and he has no eyebrows. Everyone is horrified at the sight, jaws slack, hands cupped over quivering lips. Never, even in all my months under his command, did I ever think I would see Amon's face, and now it is exactly what he said it should be, even when we have been told that is a lie. "**This** is what a firebender did to me!" He booms.

Faith in Amon is successfully restored. "The Avatar is lying!" Someone spits in fury as Amon returns the mask to his face. _But… she isn't… right? That __**is**__ the truth we heard from Tarrlok, isn't it? Surely he's not… _

"No… it's not!" Korra pleads, though it has become a futile effort. "He's a waterbender, I swear!" From the stands high above up Equalist footsoldier begin to approach the two infiltrators. Mako is ready to fend them off, but Korra is still shattered that her plan she was so sure of has fallen apart. _This is where I come in, right? I… I should do something, shouldn't I? Oh, but what __**can**__ I do!?_

"I wouldn't leave yet, Avatar." Amon says menacingly. "You'll miss the main event." A large trap door opens up in the floor of the raised stage, and from it the sound of hydraulics signifies something is being risen up, but from my vantage point I can't see just what. When that something has been fully raised however, I see it clearly, and it fills me to the bone with fear.

Tenzin and his three airbending children have been captured, and are tied up to four metal poles, cloth over their mouths, completely immobilized. _What…!? But they got away, didn't they? That's what they said – they said they saw them get away! So how…?_ "Tonight, I rid the world of airbending… forever!" Amon bellows to his audience, arms raised triumphantly. He then walks back, just beside Tenzin, and pulls the cloth off from over his lips. "So, Councilman – any last words before you join the ranks of the cleansed?"

Tenzin is hesitant to say anything, perhaps embarrassed by his situation, but he does ultimately speak. "You think this will 'rid the world of airbending'?" He growls. "Or have you forgotten?"

Amon laughs exultantly. "You mean my former sergeant? The quiet Miss Ming Ku-Sim?" At that moment, it comes to me. His plan, down to the detail, I understand it now…

…And I also understand how I fell right into it. _He wasn' just luring Korra in… he knew I would come as well! And I didn' suspect a thing! _A bright spotlight suddenly swerves over to shine fiercely onto me, and being directly in the front of the crowd, I'm impossible to miss. "Why, she's here as well, of course."

The light is so bright I am momentarily blinded, and in my brief stupor, I fail to gather that two Equalists are at both my sides, having shadowed me in disguise this entire time. With a series of rapid-fire punches and precision chi-blocking strikes along my arms and torso, my body is instantly paralyzed and my bending temporarily inert. Unable to retaliate as they cart me on stage, I can only yell obscenities to fight back. Amon chuckles again. "My my, I take back that part about 'quiet'."

"Amon, no!" Korra exclaims. "Let them go!"

His attention back on the defiant Avatar, he sneers a challenge. "You're welcome to come down here and try to stop me, Avatar!" Korra is ready to jump headfirst into battle, but Mako grabs her arm to stop her. They throw some words back and forth to each other, but I can't make them out of the murmur of the crowd. To Amon however, her inaction only proves his proclamation of superiority. "As expected! The Avatar does nothing! As she always has!" His voice thunders. Pointing in my direction, he waves his finger down to the ground, and the soldiers that have me restrained kick the back of my legs to force me onto my knees. Amon draws near. "She, and every other bender who would oppose me, needs to be reminded of the power that I possess!" He looms over me, a masked spectre. "You lost your chance at a peaceful resignation of your bending when you attacked me, Ming." He says in a low growl. "As always, there's no trust to be given to a bender, ever."

The lightning moves with speed instantaneous. From Mako's fingers a violent blue flash flies from the balcony and crashes with the stage, exhuming a thick black cloud of smoke in its wake. Amon dodges with the grace of a cat, but his two enemies allow him not a moment of rest. On blasts of fire they ride through the charred air onto the stage, where Mako easily dispatches the Equalist footsoldiers who step forward to subdue him while Korra wastes no time freeing Tenzin and the others. "Where's Pema and the baby?" I hear her ask from my slumped position on the ground. Movement is starting to return to me, but it's sluggish, all pins and needles of the limbs returning to life.

"In prison." Tenzin responds.

"And Bei-Fong?"

"I don't know." The last shackles broken, Tenzin immediately leaps forward to assist Mako, throwing a series of blasts of wind at Amon and his men. Amon skillfully evades the attacks, but those under him are caught in the blast. Tenzin isn't done yet though – with a mighty grasp on the air, he throws a tidal wave of force at his enemy, and not even Amon can withstand the blast and is flown backwards off the stage.

Haphazardly, I stumble to my feet as Korra gathers the children together. "C'mon kids, let's get out of here!" She then looks my way. "Tenzin, can you get Ming?"

"I-I'm fine!" I try to assure them. "I can move again!"

"Can you bend?" Asks Tenzin.

I test it out, trying to throw a simple puff of air, but nothing happens. "Not yet."

"Come with us then." Tenzin says hurriedly. "We've got to get you out of here and to safety."

_'To safety'? But…! _"No!" I shout. "Not yet! I still have to find someone!"

"Ming-!" Tenzin cries out, but is stopped by Korra's voice from the backstage exit.

"Tenzin, Ming, c'mon!" She shouts. "Let's go!"

"We're coming!" Tenzin shouts back, but as he turns around again to face me I'm already gone, scampered into the remnants of the already fled crowd.

_I'm sorry, Tenzin… I know you want to protect me. You want to protect the legacy of airbending, and I respect that – I truly do! But right now, at this moment there's something I have to protect too, and it's more important to me than anything else in the world!_ "Taak!" I yell into the panicked mass. I tear the cloth eye patch from my head and throw it to the ground, continuing to call out his name. With all the noise in the stadium however, it's a miracle if anyone hears my tiny voice. _Outside. Move outside._ I make a mad dash for the main entrance, through rapids of moving bodies, all with the same goal in mind. There is a slight squeeze through the open doorway, but once the sky is over my head again, I find the atmosphere less tense, and more importantly a bit quieter. "Taak!" I yell again. Nearby eyes turn towards my stretched voice, but I pay them little to no mind. "Taak, please answer me! You're out here, aren' you?"

"Hey, wait a second!" Shouts an angry voice I do not know. "You're that airbender!" My attention is stolen, turned towards a woman in aged worker's clothes. Her eyes are bearing down upon mine, fury and disgust swirling about in their bright irises.

"That **is** her!" Remarks a second voice.

I try to protest, but my voice is only half there; fear has taken the rest. "P-please! I don' want-"

"Don't want what?" A rumbling, low voice of boulders repeats. "Trouble?" Its owner is close, right behind me, and before I can turn around and defend myself against him, he latches onto my shoulder with a large hand, gripping the folds of my cloak in his meaty fingers. "Well you got some. You should've run when you had the chance." I try to loose myself, squirming about, but his grip is firm. He brings his second hand down upon me, but I slip my head out from the cloak just in time to tumble out of it and leave the large man with nothing but dirty rags in his hands.

Those around me clear a space. "Careful!" Someone shouts. "Someone get her before she can use her bending again!"

"Please, listen to me!" I say, hopelessly trying to soothe them. "I'm just looking for someone, that's all! A-a friend of mine…"

"No one here would be friends with a bender!" The woman in worker's clothes seethes. A quick round of agreement follows. "Especially not an airbender – you all are the worst! You think you're so goddamn special!" She puts on a mocking tone. " 'Oooh, look at me! There are only a few of us left in the world, so we demand to be treated like royalty!' " She spits on the ground in disgust.

"N-No! I would… I would never say such a thing! I just want to be treated like everyone else, I swear!"

"You lie, you lie!" She rallies the crowd around her. "I say we take her to Amon!" Everyone cheers. "Then she'll be just 'like everyone else', huh? Someone call one of the Equalists!"

"I'm right here." One responds. But it is no rank-and-file footsoldier, no random uniform whose voice graces my ears. It is the one I wished to hear, to see, to touch and to be with again more than any other.

"Taak…" His name passes over my lip like the trail of a ghost.

He stands tall and broad-shouldered, with his back straight and his chin raised slightly, looking over his nose. He stares for a moment, then turns his gaze for a moment and scoffs. "And here thought maybe the Lieutenant was lying to me. But look at you – Air Nomad clothing? You never were one of us, were you? It was always a lie, wasn't it?"

"No…" I whimper. "That's not true… I…"

He interrupts me. "I thought I told you to go and never come back."

I don't know what to say to this. I don't want to say anything – I want to run to him and bury myself in his arms, in his chest, and cry forgiveness till my tears run dry, but he has erected a barrier between us, an invisible, thick wall of words that keeps us apart. "Taak, I… I know." I cry, my eyes stinging with tears. "I know you did… and I tried. I nearly threw myself off the Silk Road Bridge just to end it all, but… but I couldn'!" I exclaim. "I had to come back! Because… because I still love you, Taak! I want to save you!"

"Save me!?" He lashes. "From what would you possibly need to save **me**!?"

"I think you're in danger. I… I can' explain it, but I think you're in grave danger if you stay here, Taak. So please, let's get out of here! Let's just go and let's leave this city and never look back! Okay?"

The air is relatively still for a brief, anxious moment. The heavy-handed man breaks it with a question, stupid considering all I just said. "You know her?"

"I thought I did." Taak sneers, curling his upper lip inward. "But the Ming I knew was quiet and soft-spoken, and she was loyal. And the Ming I knew was a non-bender. I barely recognize this girl here." He takes a few steps backwards, extending the distance between us. "You think I'm in danger?" In a swift walk, he makes in the direction of an empty mecha-tank. "I'm afraid the only one in danger here is you, Ming."

I gasp, horrified at the thought of what is likely to come. "No… Taak, please don'!"

"Sergeant!" Exclaims another Equalist soldier. Instinct still has me turn my head to face her, even after I've lost the title. "Shall we assist you in subduing the target?"

"No." Taak plainly replies. "This is my battle to wage."

"But sir!" She implores. "Her airbending has surely returned by now!"

"I know. And it is an airbender I must fight." He climbs into the mecha-tank and pulls down the lid on the cockpit, and the war machine hums to life. "So then, airbender, come!"


	18. Culmination

His name is Rohan, and though it was amidst the fires of war in which he was born, he may just be the symbol of hope we need for a peaceful world. Republic City has become torn in two. Peace was promised through different means, the benders saying it will come through law and order, and the non-benders through a radical upheaval of the system that they see as broken, but both sides have failed. Both sides only fueled the fires of strife, and this is the result: brothers fighting brothers, sons pitted against their fathers, lovers locked in duels to the death. But this child, he is none of this. Even though he is an infant, merely a few days knowing the sun's light, he is like the eye of the storm, calm and tranquil with the chaos all around him. When met with discord, he does not and he cannot retaliate; he is peaceful. But most importantly, as he is so young, he is neither bender nor non-bender, a meeting point between our two walks of life. But will it be enough? When the ashes of war settle will they be gathered into urns to be remembered, or will they be swept away so new fires may be burned, again and again? I don't have the answers to these questions I ask of the world, but it is my hope that Rohan, or if not him one similar, one day will.

* * *

Taak ignites the battle, firing off one of the mecha-tank's metal claws. Attached to a long cable, it flies through the air like a striking snake, but it does not connect with its target, as I knock myself out of its trajectory with a blast of air to my side. He knows he missed, immediately reeling it back. "Please, don' do this!" I plead, but it is wasted on deaf ears. The tank's engine roars and smoke billows upwards from the exhaust pipe as he begins to charge. The last few civilians nearby are now fleeing frantically to escape the melee, though from the charging mecha-tank or the 'airbender on the loose' I do not know. All I do know is that Taak is beyond words at this point. I have no choice but to combat him. Crouching low, I gather a flat, spiral current underneath my feet to keep me hovering just off the ground, take a split-second to balance myself atop it, then glide backwards, away from Taak's charge. As I reach the edge of the platform I make a quick turn, hoping to circle around him. He sees my speed is greater than his, so he immediately brakes and turns the vehicle, the tank's treads shrieking he pulls a 180° on the pavement. As he does so he fires off a bolas, cackling with electricity, just in front of me, predicting my movement.

I manage to dodge the weighted cable, but not without a scratch to show for it. As it flies towards me I leap, hoping it will safely pass under me, but it comes close enough that a scant bit of the electricity jumps through the air, igniting a quick, flaring pain into my arm. It is enough to make me lose control of my bending for just a moment, falling to the pavement, though on my feet at least. I clutch my arm, hoping to dull the pain, but the touch of my hand through the fresh hole in the fabric is like hot metal. Taak sees his opening to attack, but I'm not willing to let him capitalize on it. Taking my uninjured arm, I gather a ball of compressed air and hurl it his way. I know he'll evade it, and he does, but I have to remove this sleeve; it hurts too much to have it over the wound, plus I have an idea. I repeat the attack again and again as I rip the sleeve off, every time aiming it just a bit to his left, knowing he will dodge to the right to avoid it, which he does, over and over again, ringing around me counter-clockwise. After almost a full circle, I see my chance and fly towards the tank, pushing forward with one last blast of air, this one directly on target. Dodging continuously one side as he was, his machine was off-balance – just enough for my attack to knock him over. As soon as the air connects, and I see the tank begin to topple over, my heart swells with happiness, thinking this woeful skirmish between us is over.

Taak, however, is not so ready to end the fight. Aiming his claw arm at the stadium, he quickly fires it off, burying it into the brick wall with a loud crash that sends fear into those daringly watching from just inside the entrance. Taak then pulls the claw back in, pulling himself upright before he even started to fall over. There is a brief second of inactivity as the crowd cheers, until he speaks. "Did you really think that would work?" He taunts.

"I hoped it would…" I mumble.

He hears it. "Well it didn't! And nothing you do or say will!"

"No!" I yell. "I refuse to believe that! You may have given up, but I haven'!"

"Believe what you want; it doesn't matter!" He spits. _But… it does matter. If I… If I do this, then… then I think I can still save you._ We begin our dance of combat once again, two estranged souls, one clad in metal and anger, the other in air and sorrow, swirling about our stage. If I had thoughts to spare, I might wonder if Korra and the others are alright inside. Tenzin most likely fled, leading his children to safety, but Korra and Mako undoubtedly must be locked in combat with Amon, just as I am with Taak. If he truly is a bloodbender, and such a powerful one at that, I would certainly pray they are safe. But I have not the time to think about such things. Taak's skill with the tank is unmatched; he has created and perfected maneuvers Sato himself didn't even know were possible with the machine, and it is only by the level of my skill that I am able to equal him in combat. I am nowhere closer to emerging the victor, however. The opposite – as our melee continues my energy depletes, and my actions grow more and more sluggish. I move slower, every attack directed towards me is a close call, and my own attacks become weaker and weaker. Taak, on the other hand, his power derived from a machine, isn't slowing down at all. Because of this, my gameplan quickly shifts from 'disable the tank' to 'get Taak out of it'. The problem with that, however, is that I have no idea just how to make it happen. He is always on me, predicting my next move, readying a counter, then going on the offensive, leaving me not a moment to spare. As a result, my fatal move is inevitable.

He sets it up, leading me into it, and I am too exhausted from the fight to see it coming. Along the edges of the concrete pier move that the stadium is situated upon are thick, metal guard rails put in place to keep people and vehicles from falling off. What Taak plans is lead me to one of them. As I am keeping my distance from him, he brings the fight over to the pier's edge, then forces me to hop atop the railing with a fired bolas. As soon as the soles of my shoes touch the metal, he turns to the side, grabs ahold of it with the tank's claw, and sends the rail alight with lightning. The electricity courses through my bones, a searing pain like none I had yet imagined, and from the stadium entrance, and the walkway leading into the city, the crowd cheers at my defeat.

Thankfully, I fall inwards, onto the pier and not into the water, though still I am unable to move, my bare arm hung over the railing. Taak needs only approach and grab me by the waist with the claw arm. He lifts my lifeless body up to eye level, where he finally opens up the hatch, knowing there is nothing more I can do to combat him. I am just able to lift my head enough to meet eyes with his. "So, this is the extent of a bender?" He says. Repulsion and disappointment litters the expression on his face, but this is also something else, something I can't quite pinpoint. Regret, maybe? Sorrow? I am too shocked, both literally and figuratively, to try and fully discern his emotions.

"Taak…" I whisper in a pained syllable.

"What?" He answers, curt. "If this is yet another attempt to beg for forgiveness…"

"Would that be… such a bad thing…?" I interject, struggling to bring to him a smile.

His cheeks do not turn red, but I can see the smallest blush in him, in the way his eyes dart away and his lip quivers for just a fraction of a second. "Yes, it would be! Because it's futile! It's hopeless! Because you're a bender and I'm not, so we'll never see things eye to eye! And that's why… that's why I have to bring you to Amon. So you'll be on the same level as us. So you can get to see what life is like for us. Only **then** could there be any words between us."

I cough a tiny splatter of blood onto my lips, and in a strained breath say "I tried."

"You tried what?"

"To… to see things. To see things like you do! Like a non-bender does!" A stinging tear falls down the raw skin of my cheek. "Even though I knew we were different, I… I really tried." I take a deep breath and ready my lungs, squeezed as they are in the mecha-tanks claws. "So why haven' you!?" I yell. His eyes open, and a faint gasp escapes his mouth. "I knew one day you would find out… and I feared that day so much, but… I thought… I thought you would try and understand! I thought… our love was greater than this!" The tears won't stop flowing as I pour my heart out before him.

For a moment, Taak is silent, stoic. Then, he speaks, in a quiet, uneasy voice. "You want me to… think like a bender?" He shakes his head. "That's impossible."

"Why?" I ask with a sniffle.

"Because… it…!"

"Taak… come here." Having worked for a bit to, I finally manage to squeeze one of my arms out from the claw's grip. Taak winces at its freedom, expecting me to attack with it, but the air is still. "I'm not going to hurt you. Please… just come closer."

Though apprehensive and skeptical, he reaches behind him and pulls one of the levers inside the cockpit to have the arm bring me closer to him. And when I am near enough that I may reach him, I place my hand upon his sweated forehead, and the world stops. The battles around us are gone. The enemies, both mine and his, are vanished. The fear, the spite, the polarizing hatreds and the rampant indignation, the feuding families and the warring neighbors, all the evils that have enveloped the city, they are all as nothing, irrelevant and invisible. Only we exist here, in this brief moment of contact and clarity.

And as soon as it began, it is over, by the crashing of glass and wood, coupled with a scream. From a window high on the top floor of the stadium flies a man. Taak, and I, and everyone around us all look upwards to see Amon streak across the sky and into the ocean with a loud splash. "Amon!" Taak exclaims as the ripples extend. A moment of silent dread passes, and then, from the depths of the water, rises the painted ivory mask. "No…" he gasps. Korra and Mako appear at the broken window. Mako seems ready to fight still, but Korra looks as though she's seen better days.

"You tyrant!" Someone shouts. "How dare you!" Similar curses and obscenities are flung at the Avatar, but while they are directing their anger at her, Taak's is in a different direction. He glares directly at me, building fury in his eyes. But before he has a chance to strike, the sound of a massive burst of water floods our ears. From where Amon fell, he now rises, a great spiral fount keeping him aloft.

"He… he **is** a waterbender…" I gasp. "Tarrlok was telling the truth!" Not only that, but the scar, no doubt the result of a splendid make-up job, has washed away, revealing his true face, that of a man from Northern Water Tribe, Noatak. He coughs several times, hacking up water. _He must've been drowning; he waterbended out of reflex._

The crowd is stunned. "The Avatar was telling the truth!" A voice exclaims. The Equalists too are nearly speechless. In this pale, unscarred face is the end of their crusade, of their passion.

Taak, however, is not so ready to give up. He is wholly enraged by the turn of events. "Am I the only one here who isn't a damn bender!?" He screams, and from a holster on his leg pulls out a serrated knife, and turns to me. "I'll show you! I'll show ALL OF YOU!"

I panic. My reflexes, my survival instinct takes control over me, and with my free arm, I blast Taak and the mecha-tank with a tremendous force of wind, enough to push the entire tank over the guard rail. Taak is flown backwards into the cockpit, slamming the back of his head against the metal, and with the force of the blow, the hatch is closed. My mind still a blank, I do nothing to save either of us as the tank tips over into the water with a resounding splash, and immediately begins to sink.

The coldness of the water jolts me back to my senses, and I scramble to free myself from the claw's grip, holding my breath as best as I can while pushing hard to try and squeeze myself out. Harder and harder I push, my vision going blurry and dark with the lack of oxygen as I am running out of air, but eventually, I manage to slip out, and not thinking about anything other than resurfacing, I push my muscles to their limits swimming upwards.

At the surface once more, I take a great, generous gulp of air, coughing out what seawater infiltrated my lungs. It takes a couple seconds and a few breaths, but then I remember: _Taak!_ Panicking for a moment, I ignore the frigid, aching pain in all my limbs, and take a deep breath, then dive underwater once more. Looking around below me, I can only faintly make out the lights of the tank. _No, no, no! I can't dive that deep! And I saw him bump his head and the hatch close; he can't make it out on his own!_ Resurfacing, I shout with what little air is left in me. "I need a waterbender! Somebody!" A number of heads peer over the broken guard rail down at me. "Hurry, please! Taak, he's… he's still down there, in the tank, and he can' get out!"

The people exchange worried glances. "We're… not benders." One responds. "None of us are…"

"Amon, then! He's a waterbender, isn' he!? Where did he go!?"

"He sped off as soon as he was found out. That firebender up there tried to stop him, but it was no good. He… he's gone now."

_That's right! There's still one waterbender left!_ Looking up at Korra and Mako in the window, I cry out "Korra! Hurry! I need you down here!"

The response I receive is not at all what I could have planned for. "I… I can't help you, Ming." She says, tears in her eyes. "Amon, he… he took my bending."

_What…? No! Then…! _No help to be found up here, I take another deep breath and begin to dive back down into the depths, but a hand on my arm stops me. Meeting eyes with its owner, I find an Equalist soldier, whose presence in the water I had not noticed, holding me back. Her helmet off, I know her – it is Sergeant Chun, my old superior and colleague. "It's no use." She says solemnly.

"No! No, I haven' given up!" I cry, struggling to break free of her grip, but my body's ability to move is all but spent.

"Ming, I'm sorry! He's… he's gone." She struggles to say.

My body finally gives up, falling into her arms and crying my eyes red as she throws a rope back up to the pier, and as Taak plummets to his death, once more I am dragged back to life, to keep living. Once we are back on the dock, my cloak is returned to me by the heavy-handed man, thrown over my shoulder to help dry me off. The war, undoubtedly now, is finally over. With Amon's true nature revealed and Korra's bending removed, neither side has any will to continue the fight. I take this opportunity to do the only thing I feel I can: I apologize. I do what Amon would not. To all of the Equalists I give my heartfelt apologies, praying they can forgive me. I tell them what I told Korra about my mother, about what my bending did to her and how it spurred me to join the Equalists. "And now I… I did it again…" I sob. My insides feel shattered, like all my organs are broken glass. "I… if it wasn' for my airbending, Taak would be… he'd still be… It's all my fault!" No one knows what to say, so silence reigns. Cold, cold silence.


	19. Revitalization

The frozen continent simply known as "the South Pole" is more frigid than I could have ever imagined. It's the air – the air here is angry. It stings and bites at me just for being here. I am here because I have no idea where else to be. With Taak gone and the Equalist movement over, I had nothing left to tether me to Republic City, so I simply continued to cling to Korra and the others. We watched the fleet led by Commander Bumi roll into the harbor and clean up the remaining mess, but it was a bittersweet atmosphere that surrounded us. I made a feeble attempt to plea for some of the Equalist soldiers' freedom, but most of them wouldn't have it. Perhaps they wanted to own up to the repercussions of their actions, or perhaps they simply didn't want a bender's pity, I don't know. They just knew they lost, and they accepted that. Everyone had lost something.

Three days of somberness later the city is finally running smoothly once again. Reconstruction efforts are underway and life almost seems to be back to how it was before all of this. Tenzin satisfied enough with the progress made, plans are made to take Korra to the South Pole, to his mother, Katara, the greatest known healer in the world. If anyone can return Korra's bending, it is her, he believes.

So I follow them. I don't think I'm the only one with a lost sense of purpose. Of course, Mako follows out of love and Bolin because they are brothers, but Asami? Bei-Fong? Pema and all her children? Me? I think in times like this we all just need someone, something to cling to, and Korra's plight in the conclusion of this tale of ours seems as good as any to shadow. Only now, on the other side of the planet, am I starting to question my decision. _It is __**way **__too cold…_ Not even the fact that I'm finally riding a sky bison, one of my biggest dreams in life, successfully deters my attention. In truth it makes it worse; it's even colder up all the way up here, soaring through the icy sky, even with a coat on.

The compound where Korra grew up is hidden deep within the South Pole. A formidable fortress run by the Order of the White Lotus, its defense is certainly formidable. Carved out of the ice in the shape of an arrowhead, one side overlooks a steep, tall precipice, while the opposite stretches out onto an icy plateau. The walls, at least fifty feet tall, are waterbent from thick, highly compacted ice that even the mightiest firebender would have trouble making a dent in. The only entrance is a massive gate near where the walls meet the cliff, overlooked by twin watchtowers. It is however, completely unguarded from the air, which is why we are able to simply fly in. With only five (and perhaps six) known airbenders in the world, however, a massive air attack isn't much of a concern, especially out here where, as I have mentioned several times, it is way, way, **way** too cold.

When we arrive, there is a brief moment allowed for greetings. Out here in the middle of nowhere, everyone is in want of news of the situation in Republic City. They are told of course, that the conflict is over and that peace has returned, but it is the sacrifice made to achieve that peace that has brought everyone here. "I… see. We'll send for Master Katara immediately." The White Lotus captain in charge of the compound assures us. Fortunately, the village in which she lives, in which she grew up in so many decades ago, is no more than two hours ride from the compound, and Katara's arrival comes before dusk.

She, like everyone else here, gives me an extra few seconds with her eyes. Having no other clothing other than a spare coat, I am still wearing the one-sleeved Air Nomad tunic, the bare arm kept tucked in the folds away in this freezing air, and it must seem to her, whose late husband was once 'the last airbender', that I am a bit of an enigma. She gives her son an inquisitive eye. "Don't give me that look, mother!" Tenzin huffs. "I know what you're thinking, and it's not true!" She returns with a sly, elderly smile, then ushers everyone inside, out of the cold. Inside the warm hut she takes Korra to a second room to try and heal her while the rest of us wait in the lobby. Even though there is some noise, some movement from Pema keeping Rohan entertained, the air here is tense, horribly tense. Korra's parents are here as well. They are a bit younger than I might've imagined they'd be, had the thought of them ever crossed my mind. I spare an extra moment looking at her father. I can't help it – I never knew mine, so all fathers are foreign to me, something I can't quite understand. Bei-Fong is here as well. Only on the way here did I learn she too had her bending stolen from her, on the day we fled from Air Temple Island. She did it to protect Tenzin's family. I can't imagine how that must've felt to her when they were ultimately captured, when her sacrifice seemed to have been in vain.

_I don' want to be here. I shouldn' have even come. None of this has anything to do with me. Why should I care?_ I stand up, alerting everyone to my presence once again, and move for the door outside. "Ming? Where are you going?" Asks Tenzin.

"Outside." I reply. "I… want to be alone right now."

He is about to protest, but keeps silent. Bei-Fong speaks in his place. "It's freezing out there. You'll need this." She tosses me the drab grey coat I rode in with, and I catch it, saying not a word, but throwing it on as I leave the quiet house.

Outside is frigid and biting, but it doesn't bother me as much. I have a grim determination shielding me from the elements. It is one I have known before, not long ago, in times similarly dark. I make for the gate. It is closed, but not tight, and not locked. A large blast of airbending is enough to push it open enough for me to slip out. I'm sure I alerted at least one of the guards, but no one is following me, so I don't care. I walk a decent distance, following the cliff until the compound is a blur far, far away, and the world is quiet. Cold and quiet. At the cliff's edge I squat down in the thin layer of early spring South Pole snow. I've been here once before, looking down at the ocean far below me, wrapped in a hazy despair that keeps me thinking, plotting, worrying. _Should I?_ I keep asking myself that over and over again with no answer forming in response. _It would be so easy. All alone out here there's no one to stop you._ "No one…"

As soon as the murmur leaves my lips, however, a presence makes itself known. The large paws of a polar bear dog bound through the snow, and then those of a human, approaching my spot of solitude. _I'm not surprised…_ "They both came true… didn' they, Korra?" I say, keeping my eyes forward, on the endless ocean. She is silent, only coming closer, squatting down several feet to my side. "Our dreams." I continue. "My love and your bending… we lost them both."

"Yeah…" She finally says, in a morose sigh. "I can airbend, but… it still hurts… it just… it hurts so much, I can't even…" Her sentence stops uncompleted, finished with a pair of tears falling down each cheek.

The quiet of the ice and water resumes for a long moment, an uneasy period of silence, until I speak. "For what it's worth… I'm glad you finally learned how to do it." I say.

"I feel like I should be," She murmurs, "but… but airbending wasn't a part of me like the others were. They were my life, and… and now they're gone." A pause. "What do we do, Ming? How are we supposed to keep on living after this?"

Tears form in my chilled eyes as well. "I don't know…" I cry, burying my face into my knees. Another presence makes itself known, someone standing in the snow a little ways behind us. "Someone's coming." I mumble.

Korra spots him, his red and yellow cloths in her peripherals. "Not now, Tenzin." She sniffs. "This isn't a good time. Just leave us alone."

"But **you** called **me** here." A voice responds, and it is not Tenzin. I have never heard this man before, but I have heard of him. I have heard volumes about him.

"Aang…" Korra gasps, turning around. He is tall like his son, middle-aged but still holding on to remnants of youth in his face, and he wears a thin beard on his jaw line.

"You've finally done it, Korra. You've connected with your spiritual self." He smiles, and it transfers to Korra's face as well.

"But… how?" She asks.

"It is when we reach our lowest point, when we are on the precipice of despair, that we often awaken the greatest change." Behind him, spread out like a fan, appear all of the Avatars before him, standing solemnly, looking upon their young successor. Korra doesn't know what to say. Remembering me for a second, her glance darts down my way, though I do not return the gaze. I am fixated on these Avatars of days past, stunned.

"Ming…? You can see them…?" I barely even hear Korra's words, standing up and gazing out over the statues of spirits. _He has to be here… He has to!_

"Korra." Aang says, reclaiming her attention. "Come." Korra takes two quiet steps towards him, who places his hands on her forehead and her chest. Aang's eyes then glow with a bright light, which transfers to Korra.

_He's restoring her bending… Which means…! _"Guin!" I yell into the cold air. "Guin, where are you!?" I run along the neverending lines of Avatars, still spirits, shouting his name. They all turn towards me with the rusted age of ancient statues, but none say a word, and none with the face I am looking for. "Guin, please! You have to be there! I know you are! Please, show yourself! I just…" I fall to my knees, knowing I will never find him among the great mass. "I just wanted to say I'm… I'm sorry. You were right, Guin. You were right and I should have listened to you…" As if that satisfies the Avatars' ears, they begin to disappear, a wave from the past to the present, until at last Korra is all that remains. She takes several deep breaths, then open her eyes, and the same white glow now emanates from her as well. The power of all her predecessors channeled into her, she revels in her returned power, summoning air, fire, earth and water all to her command. I can't help but be entranced at the show of power, terrifying as it may be.

But as quickly as the strength entered into her it leaves, and she returns to her normal self. At this point, yet another figure enters, and my heart skips a beat at the thought that it may be Guin, but this is no spectre, this is a man of flesh and blood. "Korra…" Mako gasps. No more words are shared between them, only a heartfelt embrace and a gentle kiss. The tiniest hint of sorrow arises in me at the sight of a pair of lovers, but I do not let it take the better of me. I let them be, together.

When their moment is done, and my presence is remembered, Korra asks with a smile if I'm ready to go back to the compound. I can't answer her just yet; I have to think for a moment. _You know what has to be done, Ming. Do what you couldn't before. _"Not yet." I say quietly. "Korra, you have the power in you now, don' you? You… can restore people's bending, right?"

She smiles. "I can. And I'm going to use it to restore it from everyone Amon touched."

"Then…" I quiver, "you can remove it too, can' you?" Though her face shows surprise, I think part of her expected that question. "Please… you understand, don' you? I can' let this happen again. I… Not again." I swallow the lump of apprehension in my throat, "I want you to remove my bending, Korra." The winter plateau is deathly silent, no wind, no crashing of waves on the cliff, nothing, no one daring to speak until Korra gives her answer, and when it comes, her voice is a dagger.

"No." She says. "I'm sorry, Ming, but… I won't do that."

I am stunned. I was so sure she would agree. After knowing everything I've been through, I thought for sure she would comply with my request. "W… Why not?" I gasp. "Korra, please! I'm coming to you asking! I couldn' ask Amon to… and I know now why – he wasn' the right person to. But you! You understand, don' you? You know why this needs to be done, don' you!?"

"I do, and you're right."

"Then why-"

"Because I'm not the right person either." She answers.

"Well… then who is?" I stammer.

"Ming, when Amon took my bending, I finally realized just why it was such a horrible thing he was doing. It wasn't because he was robbing of us of our powers, but rather… he was robbing us of ourselves. Bending is a part of every bender's identity… even you. For good or for bad it makes us who we are, and… and no one has the right to take that away from someone. So that…" She stands tall, and inhales a deep breath, "is why I won't do it. The only one who has that right… is you."

I need a moment to digest her words. When that moment has passed, I find the clarity and the truth in them. "I see…" I say quietly. "In that case… I'm not going back with you. This is where we say goodbye."

"What? Why?" Mako finally speaks up. Korra, on the other hand, seems to understand why perfectly.

"Because I finally know what I need to do." I answer. "Korra's right. All this time I've been expecting others to solve my problems for me, but… what I need is to do it myself."

"But can you?" He asks.

"I don' know. But…" I look up at the cloudless sky and take in a breath of the chilly air, "that's life, I guess. And besides… Amon found a way – maybe I will too."

Korra walks up to me, and from her waist she removes her fur pelt, the same one she lent me on Air Temple Island, and gives it to me. "Here. Keep it." She says with a smile. I thank her with a beam of my own and tie it on over my shoulders. "The nearest port town is three miles southeast." She points in the direction. "You think you'll make it?"

"Only one way to find out." I say, and without another second wasted, without another mote of hesitation, speed off across the snow-covered plateau, a bullet of determination. It feels wonderful, the brisk air across my cheeks and through my hair, nothing like the bitter teeth of before. I suppose that's the power of the mind, or maybe the heart, or perhaps even the soul, to transform the world around you. And my soul? Well, I may not like everything about it. I may even downright hate some parts of it. I have trouble speaking my mind, I cry too much, I get pushed around all the time, I'm way too short, and yeah – I'm a bender. I still think my bending is a curse, but it's **my** curse, and like it or not, Korra was right – it's helped shape me into the person I am today. So it's nothing to be ashamed of, to hide underneath layers of extravagant lies that only serve to do more harm than help. So from now on, I see no reason not to be upfront about it. I'm still going to search for a means to its end – Taak's death demands it – but at the same time I'll wear the Air Nomad tunics, I'll use my bending if it will help someone, and when asked who I am, I'll reply, without an ounce of reserve:

"My name is Ming Ku-Sim, and I am an airbender."

**End of Book One**

* * *

(Phew! Okay, so that's the end of book one, but it's not over just yet! Far from it actually, but as the actual Legend of Korra Book Two just started a few weeks ago, it'll be a bit before I can continue this, for obvious reasons. Please look forward to it!)


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